Third Year Blues
by twiknham
Summary: COMPLETED Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru start their third year of school and another Sohma arrives…Kagura. Why is Kagura at the school as a 1st year? Post Ch 42, later secrets and plots NOT part
1. Monday Bites

I do not own FruitsBasket (Furubu). This very entertaining work is owned by Natsuki Takaya. I have used these characters to entertain you at no gain to myself except any reviews that are thrown my direction. Since this is all non-profit, I need to apply for a tax-free card, or accept this story is a fanfiction. Enjoy.

**Chapter 1: Mondays Bite**

"KYO!" His figurative ears lay back on his head and his shoulders slumped in embarrassment. He knew what was coming next and he just wished she'd be a little bit less obvious. Suddenly a black-haired girl just beginning to blossom into womanhood flew around the corner and jumped on him, her short green skirt flaring around her thighs, teasing the other guys in the hallway by not exposing her panties. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she squeezed so hard he could feel his ribs shifting.

"Kagura, what are you doing here?" He glared at her, struggling to get an arm free to push her away. "Get off me!" He could hear several people in the background ask who she was and what she thought she was doing hugging a 3rd year.

Hatsuharu could also hear what was being said from his locker, and even more than Kyo since he was further away. He didn't agree with the reasons she was at the school, but it wasn't his place to have an opinion. Although he didn't feel like rescuing Kyo, he did understand that Kagura did NOT need to set her reputation by these actions. Putting both hands in his pockets and knocking his locker shut with his right shoulder, he headed towards the commotion.

"Kagura…" She turned from ranting at Kyo, her eyes very wide.

"Haru!" Her face lit with a smile.

"What are you doing?" He looked straight into her eyes, and several girls standing nearby started wishing he'd turn that intense look at them. "You know how jealous I get." He grabbed her free hand and yanked her to him. In the process, he slid his hand around her torso so that his thumb rested between her breasts and the rest of his hand framed her left breast. Pulling her closer, he breathed in the scent of her shampoo.

"Wha…?" He put his lips next to her ear and whispered.

"Trust me. Play along." Glaring daggers at Kyo, Haru spoke up. "Kyo! What have I told you about messing with my women?"

_Women?_ Tohru thought, she'd come upon the scene just before Haru grabbed Kagura.

_Women!_ Several girls sighed. _If he has WOMEN, than I still have a chance of being one of them._

Kyo's face turned red. "What are you…"

Haru interrupted before he had a chance to finish his question. "Accusing you of?" He pulled Kagura closer and leaned toward Kyo. "I'm telling you that if you don't keep your hands off my women…I'm gonna have to take you outside and kick you ass!"

"Bring it!" Kyo would have furred up in his animal form. Instead he stiffened and stomped down the hall.

"Fine!" Haru still had good control, but Kyo thought he'd turned black. Smirking about how easy it had been to rile Kyo, Haru grabbed Kagura's hand and trailed Kyo down the hall. A group of gawkers followed at a close distance.

As the trio turned the corner, they ran into Yuki; who was standing there, arms across his chest in a very forbidding manner. "What are you thinking?" He grabbed Kyo by the ear. "Get in there!" He shoved him into an empty classroom. Haru and Kagura followed. Yuki then turned back to the expectant crowd. "There's nothing left to see. Go on!" Suddenly he saw Tohru standing at the edge, a confused look on her face. "Except you." He snagged her hand and pulled her behind him, shutting the door solidly.

_Eh?_ Tohru thought. Somehow Momiji had made his way into the room during the confusion and was peering closely into Haru's face, making Haru scowl at him in response.

Standing with his back to the door and his arms again crossed over his chest, Yuki spoke softly. "It's the first day of school and already we're having problems. I want to know what's going on…now!" Everyone started talking at once, Kyo was yelling at Haru, Kagura was yelling at Kyo and point at Haru, and Momiji was adding his opinions as well. The only two people who were silent were Tohru and Yuki.

Tohru just watched the chaos in confusion. _I thought Haru liked Yuki, but now he is dating Kagura, and why did Kagura start dating Haru, I thought she liked Kyo. And why is she at this school, I thought she was in college. Oh, I am getting such a headache!_

"Enough!" Tohru was startled by Yuki's loud statement. Looking over, she saw he had a hand held up for silence. Pointing his finger at Haru, he quietly stated… "You."

Haru was still leaning negligently against the wall. He stopped talking when he realized everyone else was trying to put words in his mouth. Finally getting the floor, he looked at Yuki and explained. "I was at my locker when Kagura jumped Kyo."

"I did not!" Kagura exclaimed.

"You did too!" Kyo pointed at her before Momiji laid his hand on Kyo's shoulder to silence him. Shrugging him off, he looked at Haru. "Locker huh? Where are your books 'Locker Boy'?"

Haru grinned. "Hey, just because I don't carry books doesn't mean I don't know what's going on…eidetic memory you know." Kyo scowled, he hated being shown up. Haru turned back to Yuki, ready to get this over with - he did have plans for today. "I knew if something wasn't done, Kagura would get a reputation as an easy girl and then we'd not be able to keep the guys from grabbing her. Hatori would never get a break from suppressing memories at this school."

Yuki shuddered at the thought, where Hatori went, Akito followed. "Continue."

"So I walked over and grabbed Kagura and pulled her close, making sure all the rabid wolves watching saw that she was mine."

_I'm his?_ Kagura looked at him in surprise. _I thought he liked Rin._ "I don't want to be with Haru!"

"Since when?" Kyo said at the exact same time. He was glaring at Haru, than wanted to smack himself for glaring at Haru. If Kagura were dating Haru, she'd leave him alone. "Since when?" _So why am I so obviously upset about this that I'm repeating myself?_

"Silence!" Yuki glanced at his two troublemakers.

"Then I accused Kyo of trying to steal my girl to take the attention off Kags. He's so predictable" Haru smirked at Kyo "I knew he'd argue with me about it." He crossed his hands over his chest, causing his partially unbuttoned shirt to gape open even further, and waited to get criticized for his actions. Kyo and Kagura were standing there with their mouths standing open. Tohru looked totally confused.

Yuki leaned over and whispered in Tohru's ear. "I'll explain it later. Nothing's changed. It was all for show."

"Ano…" She suddenly grinned and nodded her head. "Hai." Yuki wasn't sure if she was saying she understood, or that she was okay with waiting for him to explain. He figured it'd be a chatty trip home either way.

Momiji was standing in front of Haru, looking up at him with his head cocked slightly to one side.

"What?" Haru looked at him in question.

"Waaaaah!" Momiji ran over to Tohru and peaked around her at the rest of them. "I want my Haru back!" They all looked at Haru expecting him to have turned back, but all they saw was white Haru staring at the rabbit in consternation.

Satisfied that Haru hadn't suddenly turned black, Yuki walked up to Kagura. "You do understand the sacrifices Haru just made to protect you?"

Kagura hung her head. "Hai." She looked at Haru. "I'm sorry!" Haru just shrugged with seemingly indifference.

Yuki spoke again. "What are you doing here as a first year anyway? This is your third year at University. What is the deal?"

Haru and Kagura both looked everywhere except at Yuki.

"Akito." Yuki blanched. "Never mind."

Kyo scowled in the corner. He hated being used against his knowledge. That Haru was able to rile him so easily bothered him. Did it happen because Haru accused him of something he hadn't done, or because he 'liked' Kagura? He couldn't help but reflect on how he'd just freaked when Haru had called her 'his girl.' He looked over at the girl standing dejected in the middle of the room. _Do I have feelings for her?_ "NO!" Everyone was staring at him because of his sudden interjection and he blushed. "Uh…nothing, gomen."

Yuki turned back to Kagura. "You are not to hang around or even talk to Kyo while at school."

"But…" She held her hands in front of her, pleading her case.

"No. You can't control yourself around him. Over and over Gure has told you what would happen if you didn't use caution in public and despite his advice, you jumped Kyo at first sight." He looked at Haru. "You'll spend time with Haru, following his lead. He can figure out how best to resolve this situation." Yuki looked at everyone. "This discussion is over."

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A/N: As previously, one chapter a week, nights to be dictated only by my work schedule. Remember, **I know the ending** **(I do not need to be informed again)**.I have written this at the end of Book 7 (Chapter 42). **Please** **do not **put anything in the reviews that would spoil upcoming surprises for other readers. I have worked very hard to ensure I haven't. Thank you (arigato gozaimasu)-TK


	2. Warnings and Threats

**Disclaimer:** Fuburu (Fruits Basket) is not owned by me. If it was, I'd already have finished remodeling my home, not waiting to pay off the cards. It is owned by Natsuki Takaya.

Everyone slowly piled out of the room. As Haru started walking past Yuki, Yuki grabbed the bottom of his suit shirt. "Not you." As Tohru turned to ask Yuki a question, the door was suddenly shut in her face.

_Oh well, I'll catch up with him later._ Back to her joyful self, Tohru walked on to her first class.

Yuki and Haru were staring at each other, neither willing to break the contact first. Finally Haru blinked very slowly, almost seductively and Yuki smiled. "You did a good job ushi (cow)." He clamped a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I thank you for being forward thinking enough to realize the long-term consequences of Kagura's actions."

Haru grinned slightly. "Anything for my dear class president." He leaned closer. "You know that we can't…I'll have to be with Kagura." They both laughed. "Yeah, I know, but we're about as serious as the Mabudachi Trio." Haru turned to walk out, but Yuki put a hand on his chest.

"Haru…"

"Hmmm?" His eyes were at half-mast. Although they joked about their attraction, Yuki was the first person he'd ever felt the feeling of love for, and sometimes it was hard keeping the different types of love separated in his mind.

"Don't hurt Kagura. Don't turn black on her and do anything you'll regret later, because you will regret it." Haru was no longer humored by the conversation.

"What do you want me to say? Want me to promise to never touch Kagura?" He looked at Yuki and sighed. "She's an adult, and I'll have to touch her to get us both out of this predicament without everyone figuring out it was a spoof." Yuki opened his mouth to speak, but Haru put a finger on his lips, stopping his speech. "I can't promise not to hurt Kagura, but I will try my very best not to do it for foolish reasons." He removed his finger and tucked both hands back in his pockets. "There are bigger stakes than her feelings here."

"Do you have feelings for her?"

"Not like Kyo does. I don't know which one of them will suffer the most." He turned to walk out the door. "My tastes run to the more ordinary."

He was halfway down the hall before Yuki figured out his meaning. "You stay away from the Onigiri!" Haru raised a hand, but Yuki had no idea if it was in acknowledgement, or as a kiss-off.

ssssssss

The Secondary bell had just rung when Yuki slid into his seat behind Tohru. Sliding a silent hand under her hair, he smiled to himself as she shivered slightly and started to turn her head to glare at him. "Don't move." He whispered while caving in on his need to give her a relaxing head rub. Although the teacher couldn't see what he was doing, she figured something was going on when Tohru suddenly moaned as he hit a very tender spot.

"Honda-san, why don't you come up here and solve this equation." Tohru blinked in confusion, she was as limp as a dishrag and her head was just about as empty. Kyo hissed at her as she walked by and it helped bring her back to the present. She went up to the board, took the chalk, and stared at the problem until she figured out what was going on. Slowly she worked through the problem, making sure to show all of her work so the Sensei would have no reason to question her further. Finishing up, she put the chalk back on the tray, bowed to the teacher, and waited to be excused to sit back down.

"Good Job Tohru. I don't know what was going on back there…" she sent a glare at the grey headed boy who was acting all innocent "but at least you were paying attention." Tohru almost cried in relief when she was dismissed, and sent a grateful look at Kyo for snapping her out of her daze.

After class, Yuki waited on her. "Gomen Honda-kun." Tohru looked at him in confusion. "For getting you in trouble. I just wanted to give you a neck rub, you looked really tense earlier."

Tohru blushed, it was embarrassing enough that he'd touched her neck, if he knew she'd moaned because it felt good, and not in the relaxing way, she would never be able to speak again. "Oh no Yuki-san. I am sorry for making noise and getting you glared at."

Yuki smiled secretly, that little noise was worth much more than a glare to him. Knowing that he had a semester to work the kinks out of her neck made him feel good. Realizing he'd have to do it in such a way as to keep her quiet raised the stakes a notch and gave him a true challenge. Casually putting his arm over her shoulder like a guy would do to another guy, he walked with her out the door. "Don't worry about the glare, I didn't have to do the math problem." They parted in the hallway to go to PE since males and females do not exercise together.

Kyo cornered Yuki as he entered the locker room. "Stay away from Tohru. If you don't, I swear I'll take you out back and this time I won't lose. Dammit Yuki, I know what that sound means." Yuki looked at him with wide innocent eyes. "And quit looking at me with those virgin eyes of yours. It might work on the Prince Yuki Fan Girls, but it doesn't work with me. I know EXACTLY what runs behind those soul bulbs of yours. After all, we share the same basic thoughts when it comes to a certain rice ball."

Yuki ignored him, not wanting to admit that the Neko had the same feelings he did. _No way does he care for Tohru with the same intensity as I do. After all, his feelings are divided between Tohru and Kagura. **Yeah, **_whispered the inner demon in his soul, **_but his pure form only wants one, and it's NOT the pig._** Slamming his locker in an almost never seen emotion, Yuki headed out to run on the track.

ssssssss

Kagura was fighting her own demons. She was a twenty-one year-old woman trying to act like a fifteen year old. She looked the part, but could she be convincing enough to play the part?

Currently there were three third-year girls standing around her desk wanting to know how she'd met and started dating the sexiest guy in the school. She was afraid to say anything for fear it would contradict what Haru was saying. After the fourth inquiry, one girl sighed.

"You act like you're scared. What, does he beat you?" She leaned on the desk a little further.

_Only when he's in his black mood and I bother him. _She thought.

"Black mood? He really beats you?" Kagura didn't realize she'd voiced her thoughts.

"Yeah, but I fight real hard. He doesn't get too many punches in." She smiled with devilry in her eyes.

"I would hope you'd fight back. What a bastard!" Two of the girls walked off in disgust while the other two stepped in to comfort the poor abused girl.

Kagura looked up as she heard one of the other girls tell two huge guys that Haru was an abusive boyfriend and needed to be taught a lesson. "Oh wait! I think you misunderstand!" She tried to get up and make her way over to the two girls that were talking to the boys, but the other two were delaying her.

"It's okay Kagura-san. You don't have to be afraid anymore. Those two guys play on the men's rugby team. They'll teach Haru a lesson he'll never forget. Even a sexy man like Haru has no excuse for hitting such a delicate flower."

Kagura's forehead hit the table as she muttered. "You don't understand, he's my sparring partner. We're both learning Kendo. That's what I mean by beating me. He wins, but not by much."

"What?" The two other girls had returned and finally heard the entire story. "Oh no! And we just sent Ayo and Marcus after Haru!" Kagura looked up to see the backs of four girls as they ran out the door to try and stop their brute squad.

"Damn, I better find Haru before they do." She grabbed her bear backpack and headed in the opposite direction.

ssssssss

Haru was standing against the wall, eyes closed, wishing he could pick up the bad habit of smoking. _It would certainly help my bad-boy reputation. Too bad I know exactly how harmful it is for me._ The rest of his class was in line to get lunch. Haru was waiting for the line to end. It was bad enough that he was the zodiac ox, he didn't have to stand in line like so much cattle. Just as he was beginning to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his face, it went away and he shifted slightly when the air in front of his nose moved. Opening his eyes, he dodged the blow aimed at his jaw. "What the…?"

Standing in front of him were two of the biggest guys at the school. "What do you need with me, and who threw the punch?" He was beginning to feel Black Haru course through his veins.

"We're here to teach you not to disrespect women who are smaller and weaker than you." Ayo punched his hands together while Marcus advanced on the cornered ushi.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Haru was going to lose it if they didn't stop soon. "I'm not disrespecting anyone except Kyo. He doesn't deserve my respect, he's done nothing to earn it."_ That's not exactly true, but they don't need to know that._

"We're talking about Kagura, asshole. Such a sweet little thing."

Black Haru was beginning to get the upper hand. "Stay away from the pig. She's not your type. I'm the only one who understands her issues, and if I disrespect her, that's between the two of us. You have nothing to do with it." He was no longer leaning against the wall. Now he was standing in an offensive stance.

"We're making it our business to have something to do with it. Quit calling her a pig, and leave her alone."

"Ah, I see the Zoo let the gorillas out early this year. Let me use little words so you can understand. **Kagura is MINE.**" Probably not the smartest thing to rile up the two meanest sons of bitches in the place, but White Haru was no longer doing the thinking.

The biggest problem with Black Haru, besides his lecherous nature, was his inability to fight well. Within a minute, Ayo had Haru pinned with his arms behind his back, and Marcus was punching him repeatedly in the abs. Just as he broke free, Kagura flew around the corner.

"No! Don't hurt him!" She put herself in-between Haru and Marcus, and Marcus barely caught his arm to prevent punching Kagura.

Marcus looked at the sweet little kitten of a girl. "Why Kagura? You said yourself he beat you."

"You what? Dammit, Kagura, what kind of trouble are you making for me now?" He struggled against Ayo, but he wouldn't let him go. "What story have you told this time?"

"It's not a tale. You do beat me, regularly." As Marcus cracked his knuckles, Kagura turned and looked the goon in the face. "At kendo. He's my kendo sparring partner. That's what I was trying to tell the girls, but they didn't let me finish. He's a better fighter than I am, and he regularly beats me when we spar."

"So you're saying that he doesn't abuse you?" She looked so cute with her big dark eyes looking up at him so pleadingly.

"Of course not." Suddenly she realized what Marcus was saying. Getting right in his face, she started screaming. "DO YOU THINK I'M THE TYPE OF GIRL WHO COULDN'T WHIP HIS ASS IF HE TRIED TO HURT ME?" Marcus blinked twice. This kitten had claws. She could handle herself, and he didn't want to be in the middle of these two's love lives. Nodding at Ayo to release Haru, Marcus looked at Kagura.

"Miss Kagura, you need to be very careful how you say things here. Haru has a reputation as a bad player, and if you don't want your boyfriend beaten up regularly because of you, you need to phrase your words carefully. Make sure everyone knows Haru isn't harming you emotionally or physically, or else next time you might not be able to save him from a beating." With that said, he turned and walked back into the building.

"Haru…" She really wanted to talk to him about what just happened. When she finally got the nerve to look at him, what she saw scared a year off her life. He had turned completely black. Backing up, she started apologizing. "Gomen. Gomen nasai, sumimasen…" Haru was now stealthily walking towards her. _When did he learn to saunter like that, his hips move in an almost indecent manner…wait, what am I thinking?_

Before she could turn and run, a strong hand snaked out and grabbed her upper arm, yanking her to him. "You told them I beat you? Do you not understand what that means here?"

"I do now." She had hoped it would work, but apparently that was not acceptable enough of a response for him.

"What do you propose we do about my predicament? I can't walk back into school black."

Kagura shrugged her shoulders. "What do you normally do?"

He framed her face with his hands, running a thumb over her chin. "You don't need to know what I _usually_ do to turn white again. The other option is to have the shit kicked out of me by a better fighter." He thought for a second. "You're not a good enough fighter to get away with that. Plus if we got into a fight here, it would only lend credibility to your earlier story."

"What's the first choice?" He looked at her like she'd just grown three heads. "Oh come on, I'm not a baby."

Haru completely ignored her last statement. "Where are Tohru and Kyo right now?" Kagura checked her watch.

"PE. Girls have badminton, boys are running track." He nodded at her answer.

"Track it is. Come on, you can watch, just don't interfere." Releasing her arm, Haru marched them both to the track.

ssssssss

**A/N:** I have rated this M (mature) for all of the following reasons: innuendo, violence, language, suggestive situations, sexual situations. IF any of my chapters overstep my rating, would someone please let me know? I am not worried about it at Chapter 2, but the story builds as it goes along, and so do relationships. I do not want to lose my FF account because my idea of R/M is different than FF. Thank you in advance. -TK


	3. Black Haru

**Disclaimer: **Fuburu (Fruits Basket) is owned by Takaya Natsuki. May Takaya be pleased by my representation of these characters, and not sue me for being a bad writer.

** Chapter 3: Black Haru**

Kyo was just turning the outside bend when he saw Haru walk through the stadium seats onto the track. He stood there like an immovable object while other runners dodged and glared at him. One individual who was more into his sprint than the world around him didn't see Haru until they were both on the ground in a tangle of limbs. Kyo stopped, hands on his knees, and waited.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Haru was glaring at the older guy.

"What is your problem man? You were standing in the middle of my lane."

"You could have gone around me, you had plenty of time to do so. Everyone else avoided me."

"I didn't see you…" _Okay_ Kyo thought, _this has gone on long enough._

"Enough you two." He reached down and picked his classmate up. "Juni, go on. I'll take care of this punk." Juni ran off to finish his laps while Kyo stood staring down at his cousin. "Why are you here, don't you have lunch at this time?"  
Haru stood and stared at him. "Look at me you asshole." He held his hands wide and let Kyo figure out what the problem was. "Do you think I can go back to class like this?" He turned his back slightly, looking off towards the trees that bordered the school. "It's you or Tohru, you choose."

Kyo glared. "What a stupid decision. Why even bother to ask? You showed up here like a good little cow. If I ever find out you've been messing with Tohru, we'll be enjoying beefsteaks for the next year. He looked at Kagura who was avoiding looking at him. He was trying to figure out why Haru would be picking a fight with Tohru. Suddenly Kyo looked into Haru's eyes. "You Baka! You only came to me because of Kagura." He grabbed his arm and pulled him off the track, finally realizing that Haru would have gone to Tohru if Kagura hadn't been with him, and it wouldn't have been to fight.

The ushi grinned evilly and slanted a quick glance over to the girl standing beside him. "Yeah, Kags influenced my decision. However, once made, here I am. You gonna make me regret my choice?"

Kyo marched off in the direction of the trees, ignoring the Sensei who was yelling at him to come back to class. When they stepped off the school grounds, he turned to Kagura. "Kagura, you can only stay if you DON'T interfere. Not one word, not one sound, and under no circumstance are you to come between us.

Kagura looked at the ground and didn't reply. She'd been warned not to speak to Kyo during school hours, and she'd follow that warning this time.

"Like earlier," Kyo stepped into a fighting stance, "bring it!"

Haru barely had time to react when a leg swung around and clipped him in the shoulder. He glared at the cat. If Kyo had wanted to knock him out and turn him white again, he'd have aimed differently. "You're beginning to piss me off neko." He threw a punch followed by a kick, but Kyo was much quicker than him and used his skills to grab Haru's foot mid-swing and use it to flip him on his back.

"You used my temper against me earlier." He threw a punch that Haru was not able to block. "Don't think you're getting away without some type of punishment." A blocked kick and reverse swing later, Haru was again on his ass.

Kagura was sitting quietly, watching both of them fight. Kyo was much quicker at fighting than Haru; but Haru had better technique. Wondering how much Kyo could improve if he only watched his younger cousin, Kagura continued to enjoy the show.

Suddenly the bell rang, and Kagura jumped in fear. If they were late to their next class, she'd get a demerit. Not a good way to start this task. "Ah…"

Kagura's interjection caused Kyo to turn suddenly, and Haru's kick caught him squarely in the jaw, flipping his body around twice before he fell to the ground. Kyo cussed loudly before jumping up and laying Haru out cold.

When Haru came to, Kyo was squatted down beside him, gently checking the bruising on his face. "I got you good. You're going to have a black eye and a splitting headache for a while."

Haru grabbed his jaw and agreed. "What the hell happened?" He looked around. "And where's Kagura?"

"She left, the primary bell rang and I told her to go to class so she would not be late. I don't know why she's here, but I figure I don't need to do anything to make her life harder than it has to be." He held a hand out and Haru grabbed his forearm. Kyo hauled him up onto his feet. "We're both getting a demerit for being tardy, the secondary bell rang five minutes ago."

Haru dusted off his black pants and rubbed a grass smudge on the shoulder of his shirt, Akito was going to punish him when he saw his uniform. "Turned black didn't I?"

"Yup. Gave me a chance to kick your ass for this morning." He rotated his right shoulder, thinking he should have gone a little easier on the kid.

"Did a pretty good job of it from what I can tell." Haru popped his shoulders, getting his back realigned. "Thanks for getting me out of that predicament. Who knows what kinds of trouble I would find if I'd stayed that way."

Kyo looked at him, the only bad thing about White Haru, he had no recollection of what Black Haru said. "Yeah…about that trouble…we need to talk."

"Okay, talk."

"It's about Tohru."

sssssssss

**A/N: **Hope everyone had a good week, update again next week. - TK


	4. The Long Walk Home

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FruitsBasket (Furubu). It belongs to the creative mind of Natsuki Takaya. I use the characters because my muse requires it of me. Enjoy.

**Chapter 4: The Long Walk Home**

When Tohru walked out of the school building, Haru was sitting on the bottom step, head propped on both hands. She walked up to him and stood looking down at him. Haru looked up and caught long bare legs, short skirt, and pink polka-dots …_uh_… looking away and blushing, he patted the step. "Tohru, sit down. It's not a good thing for me to look up at you today."

"What's wrong?" She leaned close, making sure not to touch him. She suddenly took in his face. "And what happened?" She pointed at his eye.

"Just waiting on the rest of the group to show up, you're the first one. Yuki said that we all needed to come over for dinner and get everything straightened out. And I picked a fight with Kyo today, he won."

"Are you mad at Kyo?"

He smiled. "No. It was a fair fight."

Suddenly she remembered the first part of his statement. "Oh! I'll go by the store and pick up more food then." She started calculating amounts in her head. _I should have just enough money to pay for it._

Haru smiled. "Gure is ordering out. Apparently his editor is happy with his progress and sent him a nice advance."

"Really?" She smiled at Shigure's fortune.

"Surprising huh? Usually Micchan-san is so upset with him that she borders on suicide."

"Or Homicide." Yuki said from above her. She looked up and smiled into his calm face until she realized what he said.

"Homicide? She'd kill Shigure-san?" Here eyes were wide with worry.

"Not really. Thinking about it and doing it are two different things." He threw Haru a cutting glance. "Aren't they ushi?"

_Kyo sure didn't wait long to talk to Yuki._ Haru decided not to dignify that with a response. "Where are the others?"

"Kagura was getting her books out of her locker, and Kyo was fending off some female attention. Apparently I'm not the only one with a fan club." He smirked at the neko's luck. Yuki hated having girls follow him everywhere, and Kyon had much less patience than himself.

"Get away from me you stupid girl!" _Speak of the devil._ Kyo ran out of the door, shrugging off a hand that was trying to grab his shirt.

"But Kyo-san…" A cute little girl was following him. "I am supposed to get a picture of you."

"I don't want a picture of me taken. Leave me alone!" He put Yuki and Tohru between himself and the girl.

When she realized she wasn't going to be able to get his picture, she sat down and started crying. Haru looked at her and back at the cat. "Now look what you did. First you beat me up…"

"You deserved that, and you went looking for it." He stood with his hands on his hips.

"Now you're picking on poor defenseless girls." Haru stood and walked over to squat in front of Myosi. "It's okay. You don't want to worship that baka. He's not good people."

"What?" Kyo was now standing in front of Myosi too. "I am a much better 'good person' than you are." He poked Haru's chest with a finger. "I'm not given to mood swings."

Tohru had been watching with big eyes; but when he said the last statement, she couldn't help but laugh.

Kyo turned to see a grinning Yuki and an Onigiri who had tears running down her face. "What?"

Tohru laughed. "Not given to mood swings?"

Yuki smiled at her. "Kyo, give the girl her picture. We're leaving." He turned and held a hand out to help Tohru up. "Come on little one, let's go home."

ssssssss

He barely had enough time to explain what Haru had done this morning and why he'd done it when the other four caught up. Sighing at the end of his private time with Tohru, he listened while everyone else monopolized her time. _The more Sohmas she meets, the less time each of us gets to spend with her. _

Meanwhile, Haru was dealing with his own inner conflicts. _Was Kyo being honest with me earlier today when he said I got a hard-on for Tohru every time I turned black? Yuki hinted at it too. Does anyone else notice? Is Tohru horrified by my behavior?_ Finally deciding he needed to know the last question more than anything else, he walked up to Tohru and pointedly swung a hand around her waist. "Hello Honda-san. How has your day been?" Two pairs of eyes glared daggers at him, Momiji looked like he was going to pass out, and Kagura was looking at him wearily. The only person not looking at him was Tohru, and she had her gaze on the ground, cheeks bright red.

"Ano…"

"Yes…"

"Haru, are you black again?"

"Why?"

"Umm…"

"Just tell me already."

"Okay." She took a deep breath and spit it out. "Youonlytouchmelikethiswhenyou'reblack."

"What?"

Kyo bashed him in the head. "Surely you are aware your hand is holding her breast." He whispered in Haru's ear.

Haru froze, jerking Tohru to a stop. A quick inventory revealed that the cat wasn't lying. _What the fuck! I can't get my hands to behave even when I'm white. What the hell am I like to her when I'm black?_ "Sumimasen Honda-san." He released her entirely and walked ahead at a quicker pace.

Kagura ran to catch up to him, and they both talked quietly with his head bent so no one would hear what was being said. Momiji ran to join; but walked just behind them, affording them the privacy he knew they needed. He knew that Haru was having a rough time, and he was aware of why Kagura was posing as a first year. Although he wasn't sure which topic was under discussion, he knew they needed privacy.

Kyo was staring at Tohru. She was still walking with her face tilted down, almost like she was lost in herself.

_That was…not scary._ Tohru wondered if that made her a loose woman for enjoying the feel of a man's hands on her breast. Yuki came to her rescue before she could freak out.

"You know…I don't condone guys feeling up girls in public, and I don't agree with people looking for pleasure as a substitute for something they may be lacking." He stopped and looked at Tohru, who was still looking at the ground. When she didn't look at him, he tilted her face up. "However, there is nothing wrong with feeling pleasure when something pleasurable happens to you." He took in her bright eyes and flushed cheeks. "Haru didn't mean to do that to you to embarrass you. He didn't even know he'd done it."

"You saw?"

He smiled. "I'm walking right beside you. It was hard to miss." He grabbed a hand and cut a glance at Kyo who then came up and grabbed her other hand. "I just wanted to let you know that your reaction was normal, and you don't have to be embarrassed around either of us because of a natural reaction."

"Oh. Ok."

"How long is this friggin' road today?" Kyo was swinging the hand that was holding Tohru's, and secretly hoping this part of the trip lasted forever.

"Long enough Neko…long enough." Yuki looked at the others as the three of them continued down the path.

**A/N:** G'night all! -TK


	5. Shigure's Treat

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FruitsBasket (Fuburu), and I am sadly not receiving monetary gain from this story because it's a fanfic. Although my muse being quiet for two whole days after I finished it was payment enough. The major characters are the brain children of Natsuki Takaya. This story is the spawn of my eclectic brain.

**Chapter 5: Shigure's Treat**

When they arrived at the gate, the dog was standing there smoking a cigarette and looking for all the world like he was up to no good.

"Well hello my little Sohmas, you look like you've had quite the adventurous day." He looked at Tohru, who still had a blush lingering on her cheeks. "QUITE the adventurous day." He tweaked her braid as she walked past.

As they filed into the house, he shut the shoji and turned to face them, hands in his kimono. "So, I ordered pizza for dinner." Ears perked up and everyone turned to stare at him in surprise. "I felt like a treat tonight. I ordered leeks and olives though, is that okay?"

_Leeks and olives? Why can't we have pepperoni?_ Kyo thought.

Tohru walked up and smiled at him. "You're such a kidder Shigure-san.!"

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "I know, but you love me for it!"

Tohru turned and busied herself with setting the table. She didn't feel like dignifying him with an answer. She loved all of them so much, but it just felt wrong for her to say it out loud tonight.

The deliveryman showed up and everyone peered around Shigure as he joked with the guy holding the pizzas. "So, that's one leek and miso paste for Kyo and Tohru…" He handed a pizza to the orange-haired boy who was all furred up. "One sausage sans cheese for Kagura and Yuki…a beef and onion for Haru and Momiji, and pepperoni for me." Paying the very confused deliveryman, Shigure shut the door in his face and walked over to the table.

Tohru had sat plates and cups out for everyone and they set the boxes down, almost afraid to open them.

"Oh for crying out loud, you are such babies!" Shigure opened each box with dynamic flare, showing the contents to everyone. There was a vegetarian, one with extra cheese only, a pepperoni, and one fully loaded. Everyone sighed in relief and dug in, each to their preference. Tohru went to grab a piece of fully loaded, but then stopped and looked at Kagura and Haru before moving her hand away.

They chuckled, pizza stuffed in both of their mouths. Shigure leaned over suggestively, sliding a piece onto her plate. "Are you afraid you'll offend them by eating pork and beef?" When she blushed, he gently tapped her cheek. "You are way too considerate. Eat what you want, it's not like you are eating Kagura and Haru personally." He looked around before leaning back in and whispering so no one else could hear. "Although I'm sure Haru wouldn't mind it." He cut a glance at the cow, who was now blushing furiously and glaring at the dog. "On a side note, I personally like the taste of inu. I know it doesn't have any relation to my sign."

Yuki leaned over. "That's because you are a DOG, and everyone knows dogs are the filthiest beasts on the planet." He looked away and then turned back, matching Shigure's earlier volume. "Besides, we all know that dogs are carnivores and don't care what type of meat they eat." A glance at Tohru showed that they had both managed to gross her out.

When Tohru suddenly stood and walked quickly towards the kitchen, the other four stopped their conversing and glared at Shigure. "What the hell did you say to her, pervert?" Kyo demanded.

"Er…." He scratched his head. "I might have gone a little over the top there at the end." He looked at the rat as Yuki suddenly stood and left the scene of the crime. "Or maybe I stopped right where I needed to."

Yuki had already followed Tohru into the kitchen to apologize, and Kyo followed to make sure he didn't further offend the girl.

Smiling at the others, Shigure picked up his cup of tea. _Works like a charm, every time._ Then he snagged another piece of loaded pizza, oblivious to the glares from the others around him. With a mouth full, he looked at them. "So, tell me how Akito's plan goes."

sssssssss

Tohru was standing over the sink, collecting herself when Yuki walked in.

"Tohru-san," he gently laid a hand on her back, rubbing in soothing circles. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Yuki!" She turned towards him, tears running down her face. "How could I be so judgmental of Shigure? He lives such a rough life, why am I such a bad person?" She started to lean into him, looking for comfort, but he grabbed her shoulders, holding her at a slight distance. She bowed her head further. "Gomen." She'd almost turned him into a rat again.

He freed a hand and brushed the bangs away from her face. "It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong. I wish I could hold you and comfort you, but I can't."

"I can." They both turned to look at Kyo as he walked into the room.

"What?"

"Since when?"

"Well, I can. Try it." He turned Tohru and pulled her close. poof Suddenly the cat was standing on the floor, tail held high in the air, a plaintive meow coming from him.

Leaning down, Tohru picked him up. "Gomen."

Yuki leaned over and glared at the furball who was purring in Tohru's arms._ I'd purr too if she was holding me next to her breasts._ "I thought you said you could hold her."

"What? I didn't hear that. I just heard the part about you not being able to comfort her. I can comfort her, just not in my human form." He blinked sleepy eyes at Yuki before turning back to Tohru who squeezed tighter, understanding that he had sacrificed his pride to provide her with comfort.

Yuki ground his teeth together in frustration. _The damned cat might not be the smartest animal in the cursed family, but he was willing to humiliate himself in order to help Tohru. That makes him the better person of the two of us. One battle won, a million left to fight._

Kyo was distinctly uncomfortable to have Tohru cry on his fur, but he had realized her need to touch was more important tonight. It was hard living an isolated life. He was used to being unable to be touched by others. However, Tohru was the only female living in a house of men, and the only 'touching' they could do was with words. _No wonder Shigure is such a pervert around her!_

After a few minutes, Tohru quit crying and looked at Kyo. "Oh Kyo, I'm so sorry. I've cried all over you. You were willing to become your animal form just to provide me with comfort and I abused that." She set him on the floor and he looked up at her.

"It's okay Tohru, I'm washable." He snagged his pants with his teeth, and walked behind the counter to wait until he became human again. Once he was human, he threw his pants on and walked around the corner to retrieve his shirt. When he caught Tohru staring at his chest, he blushed. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thank you." She turned and walked outside. Kyo headed back into the dining area to let everyone know she was okay.

sssssssss

Tohru sat on the corner of Yuki's secret base, digging a finger in the soil. _What is wrong with me? First I get all fluttery when Yuki touches my neck, then I get all flustered when Haru touches my breast on accident, then I can barely stop myself from kissing Yuki and touching Kyo's chest._ "I don't understand myself today!"

A deep voice behind her quietly asked if he could sit down. Jumping slightly and turning, she noticed Hatori was standing just behind her. He was not wearing his lab coat, but his normal dark royal pants and shirt brought out the deep purple in his eyes. Scooting over, Tohru made room for him on her rock.

Hatori calmly walked around to the rock, tugging his pants up slightly so he could bend his knees comfortably, and sat down. He left several inches between the two of them.

"Ano…what are you doing here?" She looked at him, making sure not to stare into his blind eye.

"I'm here to get the kids."

"Oh. Are you part of the reason Kagura started school this year?"

Hatori looked at her. Just when he thought he'd figured her out, she did something that showed her intelligence was greater than he'd originally envisioned.

"Kagura can explain everything to you when she is ready." She looked like she'd been crying. Leaning closer, he gently placed a hand under her chin. "What's wrong little girl?"

"Um, nothing." She looked at him. "I think it's hormonal."

He laughed. "Hormonal huh?"

Tohru figured since he was a doctor, he'd understand. "Yes. Everything gets me all flustered today. I moaned when Yuki rubbed my neck, got flushed when Haru accidentally touched my breast, and I stared at Kyo today while he had his shirt off."

Hatori was wishing he hadn't stopped to check on her. He wasn't made of stone. "And you're worried about it."

"Yes! They didn't mean anything by it, and I took everything the wrong way."

_I bet they didn't. I'm going to have to talk to those boys…soon. _"Tohru, don't worry about it. I suggest you ignore them for the next day or two. It probably is hormonal."_ Not just your hormones either._ "It'll get better."

Tohru smiled up at him, a brilliant smile that warmed his soul while stabbing his heart with memories of another girl who had smiled at him.

He stood and rubbed his slacks to straighten the creases in them. Then he bent down and offered a hand to the girl Shigure called 'The Sohma Princess.' "Let's go see these ruffians."

She giggled and accepted his hand. "Hai!"

SSSSSSSS

**A/N:** You get to enjoy this chapter one day early due to a mandatory business dinner tomorrow!  
Bon-Appetite and I'll be talking at you again next week .-TK

PS: thanks to MyLittleSamurai and Trunksgirl. You are tangible proof that people are reading this!  
I dedicate Chapter 5 to both of you.


	6. Evasions and Stealth Tactics

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fuburu (FruitsBasket). The wonderfully mercurial characters are the synapse impulses of Natsuki Takaya. My synapses are borrowing these characters with the understanding that I neither gain nor lose in the transaction. Enjoy.

**Chapter 6: Evasions and Stealth Tactics**

It had been two days since Hatori sat with Tohru in the garden. None of Shigure's three knew why Kagura had suddenly shown up at school. The three who lived in the main house weren't talking, and the Mabudachi Trio either didn't know, or weren't telling. Yuki and Kyo had talked about it in detail, but neither of them could come up with any solutions that didn't have Akito's nasty hands all over them. Whatever the reason, it wasn't for the benefit of the three of them.

Thursday afternoon found the two of them sitting in a tree and talking. Yuki didn't really like heights; but from where they were both sitting, they had good views in all directions. He also didn't like getting along with Kyo; but they both agreed it was better to make alliances with sworn enemies than with the devil.

"So Kyo, why are we meeting in this tree again? I know it has to do with Tohru."

"Yeah. From up here, we can see anyone headed our direction. If they can keep secrets, we can too." Kyo was whittling on a stick while Yuki chewed sunflower seeds, spitting the husks out onto the ground below. "Something funny is going on for Kagura to show back up at school, and we both agree that Akito is behind whatever devilry is going on."

"I agree. But the question becomes…what devilry IS going on?"

"If I knew, I'd have already gone over there and beaten those thoughts out of his head."

"Kyo, be reasonable. Why is Akito so interested in Tohru."

"Because he's a jealous, malicious demon." He sliced the stick deeper than he meant to, and he cussed before setting about adjusting the design to cover the flaw.

"Jealous. He's jealous." Yuki looked at Kyo, a rarely seen grin on his face.

"What?" Kyo sat up suddenly, nicking his finger with the knife. "Dammit!" Yuki grinning was scary.

"I know how to stop him this time." He popped another handful of seeds in his mouth.

"How?" Yuki pointed at his bulging cheeks. Kyo groaned in frustration. "Damned rat, you did that on purpose." He wasn't sure, but he thought that Yuki actually smiled. "Perverted beast."

After a moment, Yuki spit out a mouthful of empty husks. "I'm not perverted."

"Perversions come in all shapes and sizes. Not all of them deal with sex." Yuki raised a brow, interested to hear what this cretin thought about perversions. "Some of them have to do with TORTURING a certain comrade in arms by shoving your mouth too full to speak just as you come up with a possible solution to our dilemma."

"Ok, I'm a pervert then. Want to know my idea?"

"I'm all ears." He turned to look out over the area to make sure there were no other ears. Yuki did the same.

"We stay away from Tohru."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. We stay away from her. Treat her as a sister, or better, an enemy." Kyo looked at Yuki like he was losing his mind. "Akito is jealous of Tohru. The only way to make him not jealous is to pretend like we don't like Tohru."

"So we just start ignoring her?"

"No, if we do that, then Akito will know we're doing it on purpose."

"This is damned confusing. I'm getting a headache." Kyo went back to whittling, at least it gave him an outlet for his frustrations.

"We get into a big fight with Tohru."

"But that'll hurt her."

"We'll tell her later why we did it, and beg forgiveness."

"I won't lower myself to beg."

"You damn well lowered yourself to get a little puff-puff action the other day."

Kyo blushed. "That was different. I was comforting her."

"Mmmm, whatever. Well, you have any other ideas?"

"Nope. I don't like it, but I don't like what Akito is doing either."

"Exactly." They bent heads together and figured out the details.

sssssss

When they walked into the house together, Shigure looked at them with curiosity. They were scuffed up, scratches everywhere. At Shigure's raised eyebrow, Yuki glared at Kyo. "Damned neko challenged me to another fight. We decided to take it outside so you wouldn't have to replace your rice screens again this week."

They turned and went separate ways, but neither acted like they normally did after a fight. Shigure cocked his head. _I wonder what those two fools are up to now._

**A/N: ** Mata. Go ahead and start gathering the tomatoes and rotten fruit, see you next week.


	7. Full Frontal Assault

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Fruitsbasket, that is owned by Natsuki Takaya. This fanfic writer cannot figure out how I can remember names like Shirow Masamune and Rumiko Takahashi, but I have to look poor Takaya up every single time. OiVey!. Since I am obviously not Natsuki (one would hope if I was, I'd remember my own name), this is a fanfic and I have no financial gains from it.

**Chapter 7: Full Frontal Assault**

Friday was a beautiful, rainy day. Tohru walked home with the boys from school, splashing in puddles with her galoshes. She looked at both of her beautiful men. She'd ignored them for a couple of days just like Hatori recommended, and she felt like she could possibly handle being around them without bad thoughts.

However, neither of them were speaking to her.

"Ano…Kyo, Yuki." They turned to look at her, but they didn't look happy. "Have I done something?"

Neither responded, they just turned and started walking again.

She ran ahead of them and stood staring at them. "I've done something. What have I done?"

Yuki looked at her while Kyo just shook his head and walked on. Before he got more than two steps, Yuki grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Kyo, she asked. Surely we can be adult enough to tell her."

"Is it bad?" Neither of them would look at her. She fell to her knees in the rain, Yuki grimaced at the sight, and Kyo sighed in disgust of himself for intentionally hurting her. She looked at both of them. "Please, I don't know what I've done, but don't be disgusted with me."

Yuki knew what had to be done, but he didn't want to do it any more than Kyo did. "Honda-san, I don't know who you are anymore. You used to be this really sweet girl who cared about all of us with this deep unselfish love. However, in the last couple of months, we've both seen you look at us strangely. We also feel like you're being selfish with your time, not using it properly to take care of the family that took you in when you had been abandoned by your own."

Tohru looked at Yuki in amazement and shock. "Am I really like that?"

Kyo turned back to her. "Then I go to comfort you, and you make me uncomfortable by staring at me as I'm dressing. What kind of sick person have you turned into?" He looked at her, disgust clearly written on his face. "I can't stand to look at you anymore." He turned away and started walking down the street. _I can't stand to look at you Tohru, because I know that everything I just said has been twisted from the truth. I cannot stand to see the look on your face and know that I helped to put it there. _When he reached the corner, he started running for his safe place.

Tohru was kneeling on the ground, shoulders shaking with merciless sobs. Yuki stood staring at her bowed body, hoping they hadn't completely broken her. If they had, she would never believe the truth when they presented it to her. Knowing he had to finish it, he took a deep breath. "Honda-san, there are days in which I know my life would be much simpler if you hadn't shown up. You complicate things for me." _That's the truth. Since she entered my life, it has ceased to be the simple breathe and eat life. It is now full of things that make it rich and meaningful._ As she took what he said the wrong way, he wanted to punch himself. "Go home Tohru. Get away from me." He walked off, leaving Tohru stranded in the rain. As it started getting dark, she stood and slowly made her way home, never seeing the grey-headed boy who watched to make sure her journey was safe.

sssss

Shigure was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea and smoking when Tohru walked in the door. "Ah, our flower is ho…" he never got the sentence finished. Tohru was a drowned onigiri, and her eyes were dulled. The fire and spirit that always bubbled inside of her had been drained, and he was very afraid he was left with a breathing corpse. "Tohru!" He knocked his tea over in his haste to get up and rush to her. Grabbing her arms, he led her over to the couch. "Sit!" He took in her state. "Wait, don't sit. You're soaking." He started stripping her clothes off of her, not paying any attention to the flesh under the cloth. When he had her down to her wet underwear, he whipped his kimono off and threw it around her. "Okay, now sit." He walked into his office to grab another kimono. Not that he was indecent in a pair of boxers, but he wasn't the only man who lived in the house and if the others walked in on the two of them in that state of undress, they'd kill him.

When he got back, she was still sitting there, hands gently laid in her lap. She turned and looked at him with those empty eyes, and he was reminded of Yuki when he first came to live here. "Please Tohru, tell me what happened."

She looked at her lap. "I'm selfish."

Gure smiled, but didn't figure it was the time to tell her everyone was selfish on occasion. "Why are you selfish?"

"Because I don't spend my time properly taking care of the Sohmas that live here. I spend too much time by myself and not making sure everything is alright with you." She hiccupped a sob. "I've made everyone's life here complicated by moving in." She stood and ran to her room. "I'm so sorry for ever making you let me stay!"

Gure just stared at the spot she had vacated. "What the hell?" Oh well, he'd ask the boys when they got home. Turning, he spotted her wet clothes on the floor. _Damn, I had her naked, and I wasn't even paying attention! How am I supposed to get material for my next book if I don't do research?_

Shigure was still sitting on the couch, two cigarettes down, when he started hearing banging upstairs. "What now?" He stubbed out his blunt and headed upstairs. It was coming from Tohru's room. Sliding open the door, he stared in horror. Tohru had everything that she'd originally arrived with packed, and was trying to sneak out the window. "What the hell are you doing?" He grabbed her upper arm and hauled her back into the room.

"I'm leaving so that I don't hurt anyone else in this house."

"Oh no you're not! You're the best damned thing that's happened to this house in years and I'll not let you go just because someone got his tail in a bind." He looked at her. "Who told you this?"

"What?" Her eyes were puffy, and she was so tired from crying.

"Yuki or Kyo? Which bastard told you all these horrible things?"

She looked at him, sorrow deep in her eyes. She'd told her mother she'd keep smiling; but he saw nothing except grief there today. "They both did."

He let go and backed away. "Both of them?" She nodded, thinking his reaction was because she'd also hurt him. She tried to get past him, but he put a firm hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "You're not going anywhere until I get to the bottom of this."

Shigure was sadly disappointed if he thought that the problem would be resolved that night. Neither boy came home. Finally he gave in, told Tohru not to think about leaving, and sent her to bed. He dozed off around 3am.

sssss

Two bodies stealthily climbed the ladder that had been propped next to Tohru's window. When they were both in the room, they played ro-sham-bo (rock/scissor/paper) to see which one of them got to wake her, and which one kept her from making any noise. Kyo lost, so he had to hold her down.

Tohru woke to someone poking her shoulder with a quick jab. When she started to move, she found she couldn't. Opening her eyes, it took a second for her sight to adjust. Leaning over her were both Yuki and Kyo. She started to struggle, but Kyo held on tighter and Yuki put a finger to his lips to show that she needed to be silent. Not sure what they wanted with a pitiful selfish Onigiri such as herself, she nodded. Yuki pantomimed walking and climbing down a ladder and she again agreed. They found a warm robe to wrap her in, and when she got to the bottom of the ladder, they had a pair of shoes for her.

The three of them walked on in silence for what seemed like forever. Finally, they came to a tree. She looked at both of them, and Kyo made a step out of his hands and boosted her into the tree. Once she got situated, the two boys climbed up after her.

"Tohru." Yuki started, he figured it'd be better if he explained it. "Can we talk?"

"Please." She wasn't sure her voice could handle any more. They had gone to a lot of effort to talk with her in private, so she knew it was very important.

"We found out something really bad last week." She looked at them. "It has to do with you, but it's not your fault." She was afraid.

Kyo couldn't stand it any longer. "You aren't selfish. We had to do something to make you hate us."

"I could never hate you."

"We know, but we needed a reason to hate you too."

"You want to hate me?" She started crying silently.

Yuki took her face in his hands and looked at her. "No. We could never hate you. Kyo and I both need you to understand that. We could never hate you. Ever. Regardless of what the future brings."

"Then why? Why did you tell me I hurt you?"

He released her face and thought of how best to word it. "You know that Kagura started school this year. She's a third year at University." She nodded, not understanding. "Akito made her go back to school with us to keep an eye on us."

"Why?"

"This is kind of confusing, so ask questions if you get lost." She nodded, than looked at Kyo, who was being uncharacteristically silent while Yuki explained. "We think Akito is jealous of the love and attention we get from you. We no longer go to see him for anything, and he's jealous of that. So, we think he sent Kagura to watch us interact and report back to him."

"What will happen?" Her eyes were very large now.

"We think Akito will have your memories erased if he finds you are a threat to him."

"How do we stop it?"

"Well, we'll have to quit being around each other." She looked at both of the boys. "Tohru… Kyo and I both care deeply for you. In order to keep you safe, we picked a fight with you to give all of us an excuse not to talk with each other."

"But…" Yuki touched her lips, stopping her words while giving her a warm tingly feeling.

"We did it so Shigure would see that we are not getting along. I know he'll ask us tomorrow what our deal is, and both Kyo and myself will just have to act like spoiled brats and say things about you that we don't really mean." She looked at both of them in confusion.

Kyo finally spoke up. "We don't want to lose you, so we are going to play a game of cloak and dagger with Akito and everyone else. We pretend like we can't stand you, and they will leave us alone."

"So you aren't mad at me?"

Both boys gave her incredibly gentle looks. "Of course not. But you have to play the game too."

"How?"

Yuki spoke again. "Just be yourself. Act like yourself. Give us the attention you normally do, don't change anything." He looked at her with all seriousness. "But we're going to ignore you and say mean things to you. Act like it hurts, act like we're telling the truth. Don't EVER let on that you know we are lying."

"I don't think I can do that." She looked them both in the face.

"You either play the game, or eventually Hatori won't just be stopping by to visit." All three of them shuddered at the thought of Tohru losing all knowledge of them.

"Okay. But if I don't do well, say something really mean."

"We'll tell you that your mother would be ashamed to call you her daughter."

Tears started rolling down her face again. "That'll work."

It was a very somber trio who stealthily made their way back to the house, unnoticed by anything beyond the moon and the trees.

**A/N:** You still have all that rotten fruit I told you to collect? Go ahead and throw it if you must. Especially the tomatoes. Little known fact: In the 1800's and early 1900's, people threw tomatoes at bad performers/actors/politicians because it was believed that since a tomato is neither a fruit nor a vegetable, it was actually poisonous. Makes me wonder how pizza ever got to be such a big item back then.

I'm absolutely sure this won't happen; but as a reminder, this is based only up through book 7. If you know the ending of the series (and yes I do), **PLEASE **DO NOT put any spoilers in a review. Assume everything is written as of Chapter 42.

If you do feel the need to post spoilers, I will not put your name in this fic to say that I don't appreciate it. I'll just click that little "report abuse" button and take care of it through the proper channels. There is an awfully large group of people who haven't had it told to them, and it ruins some of the suspense if someone tells you the ending before time (I've only read through book 8, so I know what I'm talking about).

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed to-date, it's a treat to read everything that people have to say about my stories (both positive and constructive). Reviewing is an art-form in itself, and I appreciate all of you that take the time.

Have a great week everyone, and I'll probably be back on my regular day next week. I have to finish studying for a complicated exam tomorrow night, so you get this one day early.-TK


	8. Sticks and Stones

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Fruitsbasket, that is owned by Natsuki Takaya. I only write musings that come as a result of liking these characters. I then hand them out like Hari Krishna hands out flowers…expecting to get paid nothing in return, but hoping for a review.

**Chapter 8: Sticks and Stones**

The next morning Tohru woke up early, really nervous about whether she could pull off the acting that would be required of her in order to fool the wiser members of the Sohma clan. Slapping her hands together and deciding she was just going to have to do what needed to be done, Tohru slowly opened the shoji. Shigure happened to be standing on the other side and they came face to face.

"Eeep!" Tohru threw a hand up on her upper chest in surprise. Gure smiled.

"Good morning, did you get any sleep?" He leaned in and took a good look. "Not much huh?" He held out an arm. "Come on, let's go find some breakfast."

Although she had no idea what he was up to, Tohru put a hand on his elbow and allowed him to escort her down to breakfast. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, she noticed the two boys were already at the table. She jerked and tried to get away, not sure she could look either of them in the face; but Shigure tightened his elbow, trapping her hand so she couldn't escape. She glared at him, but he just laughed huskily and led her into the room.

"Well good morning my little princes. I hope you slept well, wherever you were." He looked at them, both looked well rested. He sat Tohru down at the other end of the table and gave her a look that said she wasn't allowed to get up until everything was out in the open. Both boys seemed surly and disgruntled, and Shigure was not looking forward to acting as the adult. "What the hell did you say to our little princess yesterday?"

Kyo spoke up first. "None of your damned business." As Shigure raised an eyebrow and pulled on his cigarette, Kyo sighed. "Okay fine. We're tired of her following us around everywhere." He pointed at finger at Tohru. "She pretends to be all selfless all the time, but she's actually hiding a stalker complex. She follows us all the time, needing attention, requiring us to drop what we're doing to take her places and get her out of predicaments."

Tohru looked on with big eyes. _Is Kyo telling the truth, or was last night the truth? How do I know?_ She looked at Yuki, but he was looking at his plate, taking violent bites of his rice. _No help from him. I guess I'll ask them later, if they'll let me._

After a few minutes of Kyo ranting about how selfish Tohru actually was, Shigure cut him off and stood in disgust. "I swear the two of you wouldn't see a pot of gold if I dunked your heads in it." He looked at Tohru. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to the Sohmas. If you're too stupid to understand that, maybe I need to do something to prove it to you." Grabbing Tohru's hand, he pulled her up. "Pack your stuff, you're leaving."

"What?" Tohru was so confused. Yuki swallowed his rice half-chewed and held his breath praying he wouldn't start coughing and give away his game. Kyo turned three shades of red, but didn't make a peep.

"You're not saying here with these idiots one second longer." He put a hand on her cheek. "I'll not have what makes you so wonderful destroyed by boys who need to remember who they are and what they USED to be like before you entered their lives." He all but dragged her upstairs and started pulling stuff out of her drawers and piling it on her bed. "Either you help me pack, or I'm going to get a nosebleed looking at all of your intimate apparel."

That spurred Tohru, and she quickly shoved him away from the drawers and neatly removed the clothing, setting it in empty boxes as Shigure provided them. When she heard a shoji downstairs sliding across the floor, she looked at her watch and freaked out. "I'm going to be late for school Shigure-san!"

"You're not going to school today."

"But I promised my mother I'd graduate, and if I don't go to school, how will I graduate?"

"I'm going to talk with your teachers today. You suddenly had to go on a trip to take care of a sick relative, and you need your work for the next couple of weeks so that you won't get behind."

"Who's sick?"

"No one….well, the bakas that live here are, in the head…but they don't count." She looked confused. "I'm going to lie to your teachers. You are going on a trip for a couple of weeks, and I want to keep you from missing out on any class-work."

"Where am I going?" Tohru was so confused. Why did everything have to change overnight?

"Hatori is coming to get you."

_Oh no, I don't want to stay at the main house with Akito. He hates me, and has already made Kagura go to school with us because of me._ "I'm staying at the main house?"

Shigure laughed. "Oh no. You're going to be staying with another Sohma household while I work on straightening out the kinks in this one. Once the boys are back to normal, you'll be back."

"So I'm not being 'erased'?" Shigure looked at her worriedly. "Not part of my plan. You never know what could happen, but Hatori has no instructions to make that happen at this point."

She leaned in real close. "Have I done something that would make the Sohmas want me to disappear?"

Shigure smiled genuinely. "Of course not."

"Ok. So, when do I leave?" Shigure's smile widened and she turned to see what he was looking at. Hatori was standing just behind her.

"Now. Are you ready?"

_How much did he hear?_ "Yes. Let me get my things."

Shigure waved her on. "I've got it. Go on, get in the car."

Five minutes later, Tohru was headed away from town, and Shigure was trying to figure out what caused the boys to suddenly change their tunes.

sssss

By the time the boys got to school, they were frantic to find out what was going on. The first person they saw was Haru, and it was all they could do not to tag team him and beat the hell out of the ushi. Haru watched them out of the corner of his eye. He'd overheard Hatori talking with Shigure this morning, and was pretty much up to speed with what was happening.

"Good morning." Kyo grunted at him, but Yuki stopped and smiled before asking about Kagura. "Oh, she's around here somewhere. I gave her a good-morning kiss for the boys, then sent her on to class so she'd not be here when you arrived."

Yuki raised an eyebrow, the ushi was smarter than he pretended to be.

"It'll never work you know."

"What?"

"What you are trying to do. Your feelings are too deep for her. You'll never be able to kill them, and you'll never be allowed to be with her." Haru tilted his hips forward and put his hands in his pockets, looking at his first love with understanding sorrow.

Yuki started to walk away, but Haru snagged his sleeve. "What now?"

"I'm thinking on it. Don't give up yet, there's always a way when someone wants something bad enough."

**A/N:** Thank you for the wonderful reviews! Have a great week.


	9. Trips and Falls

**Disclaimer:** If you haven't already figured it out, I am not Natsuki Takaya. However, I did remember half of the name this time. That means I've either posted too many chapters, or my memory is improving. As always, although I'm SURE (ha, ha) many of you would like to pay me for my stories, I cannot accept monetary appreciation as this is a fanfic (to the ever-lovin' lament of my family, who wants me to get paid for my hobby).

**Chapter 9: Trips and Falls**

The car journey was very quiet. Hatori drove with his right hand lightly sitting on the wheel, his left was resting on the door. The clean scent of the leather seats wafted around the confines. Tohru sat very tense, her hands tightly gripped in her lap. When Hatori reached over to turn on the CD Player, Tohru jumped like he'd tried to shoot her.

"Calm down Tohru-kun. I'm not going to harm you."

She turned bright eyes on him. "You mean you're not going to erase my memories?"

Hatori chuckled painfully. "No. We just decided it was better for you to be away from the boys while we figure out what happened. No reason for you to be emotionally abused when you haven't done anything wrong."

Tohru continued to look at him, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "So I'm not selfish?"

Hatori was watching out the window again. "Everyone is selfish on occasion, but you are not exceedingly selfish."

"Really?"

He swapped driving hands and gently reached over and momentarily laid a hand on her shoulder. "Really."

Tohru sighed in relief. _So they really meant it last night when they said they were only doing this to get Akito off my tail._ Relaxing in her seat, Tohru listened to the music and was quickly lulled to sleep.

Hatori hummed slightly off-key to Schubert and looked over at the young lady sleeping in his car. _I'm not sure what the boys are up to, but I bet anything it is related to Kagura being sent back to school. Neither of them is slow when it comes to picking up Akito's vibes._ He didn't agree with Akito's plan, but it wasn't his position to get involved. He would let the boys figure out how to solve the problem and keep his ear to the rail and his thoughts to himself.

sssss

Tohru woke up as Hatori turned the engine off. She sleepily blinked and gathered her thoughts as Hatori exited the car and opened the trunk to unload bags. Yawning, she stretched and then opened the door. The first thing she noticed was the clean crisp smell of wet moss. Then she realized the noise she heard was water running over rocks. She turned to Hatori. "Where are we?"

Hatori was walking in front of her, a bag in each hand. He didn't miss a step as he answered. "A Sohma retreat that very few of us know about."

"Does Shigure-san know about this place?"  
"No. I was told by Kazuma's grandfather, the previous cat. He established it as a haven for those who were being oppressed by members of the Sohma, as he himself had once been." He turned and looked at her unblinkingly. "Unless Akito has somehow discovered the secret, the only other people who know about this place are Kazuma and the people who maintain it."

She sighed in relief before suddenly realizing that Hatori had a bag in each hand and was quickly approaching the door. She ran up the stairs and slid the shoji open for him, earning a grateful look. The entrance had a river-stone floor and high-beamed ceilings. Long banners depicting all of the animals of the Sohmas graced the spaces between windows and doorways. Amused, Tohru spent a few minutes studying each one. They were done in the scrolling artwork of the Chinese, not the more lined style of the Japanese.

Hatori quietly walked up beside her. He stood with hands lightly in his pockets and looked at the banner Tohru was currently viewing. A very graceful dragon wound through trees, curling smoke emitting from his nostrils while the forked tongue flicked out. He could almost see a wink in the one visible eye. "Things in this banner are not shown to real size." Tohru suddenly turned and looked at him, realizing he was standing there. His cheek was tightened, and she wasn't sure if it was because he was humored or resentful of the difference between the forms.

"Does the dragon ever look like that Hatori-san?"

"No, it's not realistic. There are no dragons. We only turn into the real animals that are equivalent. However, a sea-dragon is not as interesting as the classical Chinese dragon." He smiled. "Kazuma's jiji was Japanese, but he had a love of all things Chinese. Since he designed this living space, he got to choose the décor. Kazuma and I honor his memory by leaving it alone." He walked away. "Come on, if we're going to get anything done today, we need to get started."

"Eh?" She ran behind him, hair trailing with the movement.

They entered a kitchen area and Tohru stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. Hatori was smiling a genuine ear-to-ear smile as he gazed at the lovely woman in front of him. "Rio, let me look at you!" A thin woman in a peach and green ankle-length yukata turned around once and looked at him with mischief in her eyes. "How old are you now?"

She laughed lightly, her voice sounding like the tinkling of temple chimes. "Twenty-two Hatori-san. You've been gone a long time!"

He laughed lightly. "Apparently. Are your parents here?"

Her face fell slightly. "No, Sofu-jiji (grandfather) fell last week and broke his hip. They are in the hospital with him." Hatori looked concerned. She waved her hand at him. "The doctors all agree that he will recover from this. They are just having to watch him to make sure he doesn't get out of bed, you know how stubborn he is."

"Well, is it okay for us to visit?" He nodded towards the silent girl standing in the doorway and Rio noticed for the first time they were not alone.

Very quietly, she leaned forward and whispered. "Hentai Sensei. You know I can't put the two of you in the same room."

He blushed. "I believe you misunderstand."

She laughed again. "Or maybe you do. I understand clearly. Are you both staying, or am I taking on a new border?"

Hatori cleared his throat. He hated that she carried this type of knowledge about him. "A new border." She clucked her tongue at him and started to turn towards the girl. Hatori caught her arm before she could move away. "But not for very long. This isn't a nine-month issue. We're having a little trouble in paradise and we're trying to protect the angel from the demons." She sighed in relief and pulled away.

"Konnichiwa. Welcome to my home." Tohru blinked as this vision stopped directly in front of her. Rio grabbed her hand and pulled her through the room, disregarding Hatori as if he'd suddenly become an appliance. "Let me show you the view!"

At the other end of the kitchen stood two sets of French doors. Opening one set, Rio ushered Tohru through and outside onto the deck. "Oh!" In front of her was a forty-foot waterfall that ended in a deep pool of azure. "So that's what I heard when I stepped out of the car."

Rio smiled, this one was going to be easy to deal with. "Yes. We call this place Kakurega no Suiren, The Waterlily's Retreat." She pointed to a large patch of pink, white, and yellow water lilies that dotted the pond below them.

"How lovely!" Tohru bent over the rail to get a closer look, startling a golden crane that squawked and flew off on graceful wings. Rio turned to look at Hatori, passing an unvoiced thought between them. _How lovely, indeed._

**A/N:** Hope everyone's had a great week! See ya next week.


	10. Class Work

**Disclaimer:** Takaya Natsuki owns. I borrow. I do not make money from borrow, therefore, it is a non-profit endeavor and I cannot be Merry Sue'd.

**Chapter 10: Class work**

While Tohru was becoming acquainted with her new environment, Yuki and Kyo were fighting their own demons. Denpa-wave girl had arrived with the Yankee and they were torturing the two boys.

"Where is Tohru-kun?" Uotani Arisa had Yuki cornered like the rat he was, while Hanajimi Saki was looking at Kyo in a way that made him decidedly unsettled.

"What do you mean Uotani-san?" Yuki hated being cornered, and he certainly hated the thought of going up against an ex-yakuza member. "She's here somewhere."

Kyo's ears perked and he looked at Hana-sama. "You've seen her today, correct?"

She glared at the orange-headed idiot. "If we had seen Tohru-kun, why would we bother you?" Kyo and Yuki glanced at each other before turning back to the women standing in front of them. "You didn't know." Her black braid slipped off her shoulder and she watched as the waves around them sparked and sizzled with the chaos that normally surrounded him merging with confusion and the concerned waves she generated.

"We left the house before she did today." His waves darkened and she glared at him.

"You hurt her."

_How does she know?_

"I can see the pain, it is a dark miasma that surrounds you. It is caused by something you've said, and it did not amuse." She suddenly reached a hand out and gripped his chin strongly. "You cannot undo, all you can do is repair and monitor." She turned away. "Danger follows you closely, you need to watch your path." She tapped Uotani who looked up. "They cannot help us. We must seek our answers elsewhere."

"Haru!" A gleam appeared in Uotani's eyes as she spun on her heel and headed off on her next mission.

Kyo and Yuki looked at each other with concern. _Tohru isn't at school today!_

sssss

Haru had just finished a very satisfying sprout on wheat and was returning his tray when a hand stopped his forward momentum. "Just a minute young man." He turned to look into the highly polished and plucked face of Uotani-san. His gaze dropped and he took a lewd assessment of her clothing, starting with the opening of her shirt that showed cleavage to where the slit started on her skirt. "There's more than just my boobs and ass you know, you could at least ogle my legs too." Her direct approach to his rudeness turned him on, but he feigned boredom.

"What do you want? I have places to be." _And if you knew exactly what place I most wanted to be, you'd run._ He moved his shoulder and she removed her hand, trailing it idly down his chest as if she was unaware of her motions.

"I'm looking for Tohru-kun." _Don't think you're fooling me, I know exactly what you're thinking, and I am willing to play into it._ "Have you seen her?" She leaned forward, letting him breath in the white plum perfume she casually dabbed on every morning. He raised an eyebrow, but provided no other response. She started to turn. "Pity. She's been gone all day and the twins know nothing about her disappearance. I'd hate to think anything bad had happened to her." He grabbed her shoulder before she could walk away.

"Yuki and Kyo don't know she's not here?" He was finally looking at her eyes, a clear sign he was concerned.

"That's correct. They were clueless when we inquired."

_Akito, it was not part of your plan to harm her. She'd better be safe._ "I'll find out what I can." He ran his hand down her arm, catching her wrist and the slightly accelerated pulse. "It will cost you, though I'm not sure you'll consider the payment expensive at all." Running a thumb over her quickening pulse, he looked at her with eyes that promised the fruit of knowledge in their depths.

As he turned to leave, Hanajima walked up to Uotani. "I don't need to ask anything about that encounter, I could have felt it in Hokkaido." Blushing, Uotani turned and headed to class, her friend following at a discrete distance.

sssss

When the bell rang at the end of the day, there was no guessing the first people out of the building. Kyo and Yuki were bickering all the way down the street, typical cat/rat style. Finally Kyo realized today was his normal dojo day, and Yuki agreed to dig into the mystery of Tohru's disappearance while Kyo went to practice.

Uo and Hana were watching from a distance and when Kyo turned to head off to the Dojo, Uotani turned to follow and Hanajima sped up to catch up with Yuki. "Yuki-san, please wait." He turned and stopped while she caught up. "I don't know what happened, but can I be of assistance? Uo-chan and I are both worried about Tohru-kun."

Yuki started walking again, thinking very hard as they passed stores and homes. Finally he stopped and gestured to a bench. "Will you sit?" She nodded and they sat down to talk. "We fought with Honda-san yesterday." Saki stared at him, but he did not elucidate.

Finally she sighed and glared at him. "Tohru does NOT fight. She sits while the waves of emotion crash upon her head. Why don't you rephrase that statement to make it a little more truthful."

Yuki could almost see the lightning shooting from around her body and he realized that she would not accept half-truths when it came to Tohru. He sighed. "I cannot and will not explain everything to you. Please understand that there are things that happen beyond your need to know."

"If it involves Tohru, I will not understand secrets kept from me."

"Even if they are kept by Honda-san herself?" He was looking at his hands, which were gripped tightly in his lap.

Saki blinked and stared at him. _Tohru keeps secrets for these boys too?_ She shook her head. "Iie, if Tohru keeps secrets, than I will honor that." _She has never revealed what she knows about me. How many secrets does she keep? Until Uotani explained about her past, I had no knowledge of her history._ "Continue."

"She may have been removed from our house because of the fight we had yesterday." He swallowed hard. "We said some horrible things to her." Saki looked at him in confusion. "Because we had no other choice. Sometimes small sacrifices are made in order to achieve a greater good."

"And Tohru-kun was one of these 'sacrifices?'"

Yuki was suddenly in her face. "NO!" He was breathing hard, almost panting with his small lung capacity. "Tohru is NEVER to be a sacrifice." Saki held up a hand to placate the angry boy.

"I believe I understand what you're saying. You started a fight, sacrificing your happiness with her and her happiness in general because there was a bill that required that kind of payment."

"Yes." He was calming down.

"So you are not in a position to be able to just go in and find out from Shigure-san where Tohru is." He nodded. "Well…" she slapped her hands together. "I'm glad we had this conversation. I can."

Yuki gave a semblance of a smile for the first time since she'd seen him today. "I was hoping you would."

They bent their heads together and came up with a plan that would achieve the desired result without tipping anyone off as to who was pulling the strings.

**A/N: **Thank you to my two loyal reviewers! I hope you have had a great week Misao-Ai and Trunksgirl! Thank you to everyone else who has taken the time to read, hope you continue to enjoy! -TK


	11. Home Maintenance

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything. My time is not my own, my house is not my own, my car is owned by the bank, and I am so far behind at work that as of today, I can never die. Therefore, I must not own Fruitsbasket (Fuburu). That is owned by Natsuki Takaya, who probably has less free time than I do. I only borrow these characters to relieve stress and entertain my readers, loyal and otherwise. Enjoy

**Chapter 11: Home Maintenance**

When Yuki arrived home, Shigure was sitting in his room behind the computer, four empty frappaccino cups piled up on the desk. His fingers were clicking furiously, stopping only long enough to push the glasses back on his face.

"Hey Gure-san."

"Mmmmf"

He didn't even look up, so Yuki grabbed a snack out of the cabinet and headed up to his room. A few minutes later he scrambled back down the stairs and shoved his head into the utter chaos that Shigure classified as a room. "I'm going to my secret base now, be back later."

Shigure looked up from his gulp of melted frappaccino and blinked cross-eyed at the rat. It looked like he was getting ready to say something when suddenly he got an idea and put his cup down to start typing furiously. "Bye" he grunted before turning back into the love machine that paid the bills and kept his editor in emotional misery.

Instead of heading off to his garden, Yuki headed back towards the school. Half-way he met up with Saki who nodded in passing and started on her part of their mission.

Shigure was working through a very difficult scene when he heard the chimes that hung beside the door. Picking up his printout with one hand and his empty frappaccino with the other, he walked out of his room to answer. "As he reached for the front clasp of her bra…" he read aloud, stopping only to try and take a sip of his drink. Realizing it was empty, he shrugged and set it on the first flat surface, which just happened to be the top of the fish tank. "The phone rang and he woke up, dripping in sweat and very aroused." He slid the shoji open and turned back around, walking back toward his office. "As he turned to get out of bed, he brushed up against a soft, warm body and…"

"He wondered if it had been a dream after-all."

Shigure turned and grinned at the dark headed girl standing all prim and proper, hands folded demurely in front of her. "Exactly!" He turned away and then turned back suddenly. "Ayame and Mine would LOVE you. Hold on." He disappeared into his cave of a room and Saki could hear him furiously typing. Suddenly it stopped and his disheveled head popped back out. "You're Tohru-kun's friend Hana-kun, right?"

"Yes. Is she here?"

He scratched the back of his head, absently thinking that five frappaccinos in fourteen hrs was NOT conducive to playing it cool. "No, she's out right now."

Saki slowly walked up to him and put a finger on his nose. "And where exactly is this 'out'?"

"She's at the store." Her finger tickled where it touched him.

"I can see by your Denpa waves that you are lying to me on purpose."

He backed away like she'd clawed his face with that finger. "WHAT?"

"I talked with Principal Umikata today, he said you called in and told him that Tohru had to be out for several days because one of her family members was sick and she had to leave to take care of him. However," she poked his check for emphasis, "the only family member she has left is her grandfather and I stopped to see him because I was worried and guess what…" Gure blinked, wondering how he could get this girl to wind down. "Exactly! He's in perfect health…and Tohru-kun is NOT there."

Hanajimi had managed to back him against the shoji screen while he was focused on trying to talk his way out of this pickle. As he tried to back up again, he banged his head on one of the wooden braces used to hold the rice paper tight. Suddenly he realized he had no other choice except to tell the truth.

"Hatori and Tohru eloped together. We've been trying to keep it on the quiet side because she's only sixteen, and he's twenty-seven."

_WHAT?_ Three minds thought simultaneously. One was standing in front of Shigure, the other two were eavesdropping on the other side of the Shoji. Since two of those minds were NOT supposed to be there, all they could do was sit silently and hope their thoughts didn't transmit through the screen.

Inside, Shigure was wondering why he suddenly felt like a cornered…dog. The visage on the girl standing in front of him had turned very dark and several strands of hair had worked free of her braid and were standing out slightly. As the hair on the back of his neck started to tingle, he wondered if there was a thunderstorm headed their way and the static in the air had increased.

Very quietly Hana-chan spoke. "My little Tohru-kun ran off with a twenty-seven-year-old to get married, am I understanding you correctly?"

Small sparks were beginning to shoot through the tip of her finger where it met his chest and Shigure wasn't sure if it was the worst pain or the sweetest torture he'd ever been through. "I might have exaggerated a wee-incy bit."

"Mmm, hmmm." She zapped him strongly to emphasis the seriousness of her next question. "Why don't you tell me the not exaggerated version."

Shigure stood there staring at the young lady who was surprising him with both her almost dogged desire to protect Tohru and her really neat ability to stimulate his body with electric shock. It reminded him of the time Akito had put him in a shock collar to punish him for making time with Mayu-kun. As much as he'd resented Akito's reasoning, the method had been kind of…exciting.

sssss

Unknown to either of them, there were three other individuals who did not find the electric treatments enjoyable at all. When Saki had become outraged and started venting her anger in the form of electric waves, Yuki and Kyo had also been affected. They were both writhing on the front porch, not finding the experience pleasant at all.

It was the third person who was most caught unaware. One minute Hatori was trading barbs with Rio about her beliefs on why Sohma men wanted to leave legacies of themselves in the form of babies. The next instant he suddenly found himself transformed and gasping from both a lack of water and the acute stabbing pains shooting through his tiny body.

Rio jumped up and ran down the hall to Tohru's room. "Tohru-san, come quickly, Hatori needs you!" Grabbing the young girl by the wrist, Rio didn't give her time to answer. Pulling her into the kitchen, she pointed at the pile of clothes on the floor.

Seeing the tiny sea-dragon on the floor, Tohru picked him up. "Oh Hatori!" Suddenly she ran for the porch and threw him into the pond.

Rio was still standing with her mouth wide open when a quiet "Poof" sounded and a very wet and naked doctor filled her sight. Tohru had turned away to fetch his clothes and missed the look that passed between the two of them.

Hatori waded through the shallow water, wishing the water lilies came up a little higher than his knees. He also would have liked BOTH of the young ladies to have turned away and given this grown man some privacy as he dressed. However, there only appeared to be one shy and demure lady of the group, and she barely glanced his direction as she put his clothes on the deck. As he approached the deck, Rio reached a hand down to help him up. He thought for one instance about throwing her over the rail to punish her for her impertinence; but quickly realized that there were much more adult methods of seeking revenge. Smiling evilly, he looked at her until she blushed. Then he grabbed her hand, preventing her escape and let her pull him back up.

"I've never seen anything like it."

He was buttoning his trousers and glanced up through the fall of hair. "Thank you."

She waved a hand at him. "Not that! When Tohru-san scooped you up and threw you in the pond, silly boy." She started to smile. "I would have chosen the soaking tub myself, but it was effective."

"Mmmm. Effective indeed." He held a hand out to allow her to precede him into the house. "But the question still begs to be asked, why did I suddenly transform?"

Tohru was wringing her hands, concern written on every surface of her face. "Are you okay?"

He gently rubbed her head. "Of course, the dip in the pond was very refreshing. Just what I was needing." He leaned over and whispered in Rio's ear "and it would have worked well if both girls had been abashed enough to look away when presented with a nude male form."

_And miss all the fun? _"So why did you transform Tori-san?" Rio was more than curious since she'd been around Sohmas her entire life and knew this was not normal.

"One moment we're discussing the importance of progeny, the next instant I was slammed with unbelievable waves of pain. Then I was transforming and gasping like a fish out of water."

The Onigiri blushed and looked down at her hands. "I know what happened. I can't stay here."

Before Hatori had a chance to respond to Tohru's suggestion, his cell phone rang. Digging it out of his pocket. He flipped it open to answer. "Moshi…"

"Where are you Hatori-chan?"

Hatori flicked his gaze over to Tohru and walked into the other room. "What's wrong Akito-sama?"

"What just happened?"

"What do you mean? Tell me what you are talking about."

Akito started explaining about the same symptoms Hatori had just experienced. He was very angry about it, and it took Hatori a long time to get him calmed down. "When are you coming back?"

This time Tori looked at Rio. She was staring at him, unashamedly listening to his conversation. "Do you absolutely need me?" He listened quietly. "Okay, then I'll be back late tomorrow." Clicking the phone closed, he carelessly dumped it back in his pocket and returned to the kitchen.

"Tomorrow huh?" Rio slid a hand up his forearm. "Doesn't leave much time for a vacation."

"True. Guess I better make the most of it." Leaning over, he placed a hard kiss on her lips before turning to a blushing Tohru to find out why she needed to go home.

After Tohru had explained about Hanajima's denpa-waves, Hatori handed her his phone. "Call Shigure and make sure she's okay with your retreat. You can explain why you're here, but please don't tell her where here is."

Tohru shook her head in confusion. _I slept the whole way here, I don't know where we are._ Quickly she cleared everything up with Hana-san. However, before she could hang up, Hatori said he needed to speak with Hanajima. Relaying the request, Tohru handed the phone back to its owner.

"Hana-kun, how are you today?" He listened and they talked for a few minutes. Walking out of the room again, he got to the reason for the discussion. "So, who did you zap a few minutes ago?"

"Shigure, why?"

"Well, I don't yet know if it was ALL of the Sohma clan or just some of us, but I was also a recipient."

Saki's jaw dropped on the other end of the line. "I zapped Shigure because he was lying to me and I felt he had caused Tohru pain. So I zapped him for causing Tohru pain." Both sides of the phone went silent. "By chance, have you caused Tohru pain recently?"

Hatori had to think for a minute. Although he hadn't meant to, by taking her away, he'd made her fear for her memories. He suddenly remembered her flinching when he reached to turn on the CD Player. "Yes, inadvertently."

"I guess that means I need to find Yuki and Kyo. Yuki told me they hurt her yesterday."

He chuckled. "Yes, I believe you do. As bad as it hurt me, they probably received a much stronger dose. Did anything strange happen to Shigure when you zapped him?"

"Not besides him liking it. Why?"

_Figures_ "Because I am his doctor and I was just checking on him." _And I needed to know if I was coming back to erase memories._

"Is Tohru-kun staying at that retreat for a while?"

"Just until we can straighten the boys out. As far as we can tell, she was completely innocent of the accusations those boys heaped on her. We want to protect her heart from emotional damage that future words could cause."

"I understand. May I talk with Tohru-kun again?"

"Yes." Hatori walked back into the kitchen and handed the phone to a worried Tohru.

Saki was very gentle. "Tohru-kun, I believe you need to stay there and enjoy your vacation. Eat plenty, rest lots, and enjoy whatever distractions you may find."

"Ano…"

"And do you want me to zap the boys for being such cretins?"

Tohru barely thought before she shouted "No!" at the same time as Shigure yelled "Yes!"

Hanajima put the phone down and turned back to the dog. "Shigure-san, if you or the boys have harmed her in any way, emotionally or mentally, the next time I'll bring Uo-chan and her pipe for you. I believe you received too much pleasure from my shockwaves."

Shigure leaned close, brushing her satin cheek. "How could a child so young understand such complex adult emotions?"

Saki just blinked and smiled evilly. "I've heard all about the Mabudachi Trio from sources at school." He blinked and removed his hand. She leaned forward to place a finger on his lips. "I have no doubt you understood much more than I at this age." Without blinking, she turned and walked out the door, waving a casual hand behind her. "Behave, I'll be back to check on you."

Shigure chuckled. _I'm looking forward to it. _He watched her leave before suddenly remembering that he was in the middle of writing a torrid love scene.

**A/N:** Ah, another update!

Trunksgirl: Good question, I just thought that a highly volatile guy needed a highly volatile girl. Just have to watch and see ;-)


	12. The Thin Line

**Disclaimer:** As always, I do not own FruitsBasket (Fuburu). I do not own any rights associated with these characters, except the right of free speech. Since I earn nothing from it, this IS free speech (er…writing). These characters are the brain children of Natsuki Takaya.

**Chapter 12: The thin line…**

Yuki and Kyo were figuratively licking their wounds when Saki found them. She crouched down and laid a comforting hand on each of their shoulders. "I'm very sorry. I did not mean to hurt you."

Kyo hissed and backed away from her touch, but Yuki froze. "You did this to us?" She nodded. "How?"

"Denpa-waves." She looked ashamedly at her feet.

"Why Bitch? What did I do to you?" Kyo was furiously standing over her and she could see both anger and hurt swirling around his ever-present chaotic aura.

"You hurt Tohru-kun."

He kicked a clod of dirt with his foot. "Oh."

Looking up, she met his eyes with a steady gaze. "I didn't know you would be affected when I did it. I thought Shigure was the only one who would be harmed."

Yuki rose, causing the tension between the other two to be broken. He held a hand out to Saki, helping her to her feet. As the two boys started walking, they almost missed the rest. "I had no idea you and Hatori-san would be affected."

Both boys stopped in the tracks, turning to stare at the overly composed lady walking on without them. She'd gone about ten feet when she stopped and looked back. "What?"

Yuki was the first to tamp down his emotions. "You spoke with Hatori-san?"

"Yes, and Tohru-kun. He took her to a retreat in order to protect her from you."

Both boys looked worriedly at each other, then Yuki turned back. "Was she safe?" She nodded. "And happy?"

"Worried. Hatori-sama received a significant dosage of electro-waves." Her gaze passed back to the redhead. "He told me you would have received a much greater dosage than either himself or Shigure because you had hurt her worse than either of them."

Kyo smiled painfully. "I hope so, it hurt like hell!" Suddenly a horrible thought entered his head. He looked at Yuki who was suddenly staring back at him. "Akito!"

By the time they had fully recovered and reassured Hana-chan, Yuki had put together a game plan. Smiling at Kyo, he turned and the two boys went in different directions, each to their own part of the plan.

sssss

Hatsuharu was having a tough time finding his way home. Although Momiji had given him a GPS for Christmas, his horrible sense of direction had helped him lose it. What frustrated him most was that although he had eidetic memory and never needed to bring books home to study, he couldn't remember that Chou's Bakery was two-doors down from Zang's Grocery. Frustrated, he sat on the ground and hung his arms over his knees.

"You look lost."

He looked up and saw two arms crossed just below firm breasts. Lush lips and smirking eyes topped it off. "Well hello Uo-chan."

"Did I give you permission to address me so informally?"

He blinked at her. "No."

"I didn't think so. What are you doing sitting on the ground in front of the shoe repair store?" He blushed lightly and Uo had a hard time putting black Haru and white Haru together since she was unaware of the split personality.

"I'm lost."

"Spiritually, emotionally, or physically?"

Haru blinked. "Well, a little of all of the above I guess. But mostly…I'm lost."

Uo held out a hand and Haru used it to pull himself onto his feet. "Before I can help you, I need to know where you are headed."

Haru could think of at least ten very embarrassing trials that he'd willingly face instead of telling her the truth.

"Well? You gonna tell me, or do I need to pop a cap on your ass?" She chewed her gum noisily, cocking a hip and looking very much like an active member of 'The Ladies'.

"Home." She intimidated him when she went all Yakuza on him.

"Eh?"

"Home." He looked at his feet. "I'm trying to find my way home."

"Really?" Uo did NOT believe him.

"Yeh. I have a horrible sense of direction."

"Okay, not exactly sure why you're acting like a fruit now, when earlier you were all bad-ass; but I'll play."

"I have a very bad temper. Makes me lose all sense of self. Almost like a split personality."

_And I like the other 'you' better._ "Oh." She smiled slightly. "And where is this home?"

"The Sohma Manor."

"Eh? Really?" He nodded. "Ok."

When they reached the gate, Uo turned to leave. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Oh no, not until I reward you for bringing me home."

"Oh!" Arisa was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't ditching her as soon as he reached his destination. It was rare to find people that returned favors in her world. She'd made a life-promise to Kyoko-san to watch over Tohru-kun as a favor for the time she saved Uo from a gang beating; but she knew this was not the norm.

Haru showed her around the compound, making sure to stay clear of Akito. After he had shown her everything, he thanked her and offered to walk her home.

Uo laughed heartily. "You got lost coming to your own home today. I'll take my chances alone." Haru scratched his head again, humbled by his pathetic sense of direction.

"Ok, thank you Uotani-chan."

She ruffled his hair, making him feel two years old. "You're welcome." She headed to the door before turning back. "Thank you for the tour."

He just grinned and watched her leave.

Someone else was watching her leave. Black hair swung gently over deep pools of malignant jealousy. When Haru looked up, the sight that greeted him was too calm and gentle. "What's going on here? Have we suddenly become a tourist sight for Americans?"

Haru smiled and walked over to the doorway. "Can I come in?"

Akito opened the door and ushered the cow in. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

Haru cut a glance over at Akito, not sure of the ulterior motive. Deciding to go ahead and jump in, Haru sat and looked at Akito. "The girl you saw with me is a classmate of mine. I got lost today and she just walked me home. I showed her around the compound to thank her."

"So she's not a fuck-buddy?"

"No!" He stood suddenly, towering over Akito. "Why does everything I do have to be associated with getting laid?"

Akito smirked. "Because with you it inevitably leads there." He stood and walked over, laying a hand on Haru's cheek. "Just remember that the closer you get to that girl, the closer she comes to her own death."

"Akito, you act like such a bitch sometimes!" Haru stomped out, slamming the shoji behind him.

Akito's laugh followed him. "If only you knew," he muttered, turning to look forlornly out the window.

Haru slammed out of the gate, not caring if the door shut properly or not. Stomping down the street, he paid no attention to where he was going or who was around him. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of a run-down apartment building in a seedy part of town. Breathing hard, he looked around for something to hit.

"Hey, what are you doing on our turf?" A tall scraggly college-aged guy with dark hair hanging over Ray-ban® glasses and sporting a leather bomber walked up to him. Checking out his leather pants, half unbuttoned shirt, and ear full of earrings, the yakuza member took him for a rival.

"I'm just walking. Don't mess with me. I'm in a VERY bad mood." He kept walking.

The dark-headed guy slapped his fists together and got in Haru's face. "Bring it on, I can take you!"

The next thing Haru knew, he was fighting in the middle of the street. There was blood on his cheek where the guy's ring had cut it, and Haru had caused at least one broken rib. The guy was in at least as bad of shape, mostly because Haru was angrier. Haru certainly wasn't the better fighter. He could tell the other guy was just about to give up and walk off when two of his buddies walked around the corner.

"Hey Tusa!" They looked over. "What the fuck!"

Suddenly Haru found himself surrounded by two fresh bodies. He knew there was no way to win, but he was too angry to care. What happened next surprised everyone involved. As Haru turned to block a kick, there was a tall woman with a pipe in her hand guarding his back. Together they fought off the thugs. Realizing they were going to be defeated, the gang finally abandoned the fight and retreated.

**A/N:** Hello All! I hope each of you has had a great week!

I was expecting hate mail for not updating yesterday, but I did promise either Wed. or Thur. All I have to say is that…work SUX! Major suckage this week. 60hrs already and I STILL have 1 more scheduled day (oh and I'm salaried, so I only get paid for 40 of it). I usually don't mind the OT, but this is the 3rd week of it.

If it wasn't for fanfics, I really think I would have lost it this month. If you write, keep writing. If you review, that's a glimmer in my week, thank you. And if you just read, let all of us out there know of good ones. I've been catching up on "Tales from the House of the Moon" by Resmiranda. If you know InuYasha and like stories about Kagome and Sesshomaru, this one is very good. All of us Single Spark fans are hoping for some Hentai moments, but we're somewhat patiently waiting.

Speaking of Hentai moments…I believe next chapter has some of them. If you are not of age (and that means 18, not 8 going on 20), DO NOT read the parts between the bolded stars. Let's not get Twik kicked off of FF because people can't follow directions and unhappy parents find out their precious children have been reading things they shouldn't read.

BTW, if anyone noticed something suspicious about my reference to one of the characters, remember that I'm writing this as of Chapter 41. I know the ending, but I'm writing as if I don't know the ending, so I would never intentionally give the ending away. -TK

For the reviewer who stated "Very Interesting…" Would you be willing to elaborate a little for me? Was it good interesting, or bad interesting? I don't flame my reviewers, I just ask when they review they tell me what they think without cussing (because reviews aren't privy to the rating system of K, T, M, etc). If I can improve, let me know how. I very much enjoy hearing that people like my stories, I also very much enjoy being told of ways I can improve. Thank you!


	13. Between Love and Hate

**Disclaimer:  
**1. I do not own fruitsbasket (fuburu). Natsuki Takaya does.   
2. There be lemons here mates.   
3. If you're not fond of lemons or are under 18, skip to the next chapter, or DO NOT read the parts between BBB and EEE. No excuses for you've been told. BBB Start of Lemon, EEE End of Lemon.

**Chapter 13: Between Love and Hate**

Haru turned to his companion. "Thank you Uotani-san."

"Aw hell." She wiped the smudge of blood off of his cheek. "Call me Uo-chan. After a battle of this magnitude, I consider you a friend." She leaned forward to ruffle his odd-colored hair.

"Don't."

"Don't what? Ruffle your hair?"

"Right. I'm on a very thin line right now and it won't take much to snap it."

She leaned very close, intentionally pushing his buttons. "And what happens when the line snaps?"

"This." He grabbed her around the neck and pulled her to him for a quick kiss. At first, she tried to break free, but then she realized this was something she wanted and it was self-defeating to fight off what she wanted.

It was hard to tell which one of them was more ferocious in their passion. Haru had her gripped tightly at the shoulders, reminding himself constantly that if he pulled her closer, he would transform. Arisa had his face gripped tightly in both of her hands, devouring his mouth with licks and bites, stopping only when his tongue entered play and demanded to be tangled with. They only came to their senses when their kissing had grown so violent that they had both forgotten to breathe. As they stopped to gather air, Haru looked at her. "We have to stop, or find someplace private."

Arisa smiled. "Come with me, I live in that apartment building." She pointed at the building he had noticed earlier by its run-down appearance. She grabbed his hand and they started walking.

"Uo-chan, I had no idea…"

She stopped and stared at him. "Not all of us can live in nice fenced-in palaces, some of us are happy to have walls and a door… Besides, I'm not unhappy with my life. It's a good place to live, I have privacy to be who I am, and it's safe."

Haru smiled and gripped her hand tighter. "I may not understand, but I understand."

She smiled again. "Than come on."

"Oh, don't worry, I plan to." He winked at her, and she blushed.

Once they reached the apartment, they jumped each other again, abating only long enough to notice that they were the only two there. "Poker night." She grunted as she pulled his shirt loose from his pants.

"Ah" He groaned as a hand slid down into his pants and fondled what was already begging to be let loose. "Where?"

Arisa looked up dazedly. "I don't care, here."

"No, I'm wild, but I'm not a beast…" He laughed. "Okay, maybe I am, but I'm not going to treat you like that."

Arisa blinked, touched by his consideration. "My bedroom is in the back."

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

Haru would have liked to pick her up and carry her, but he had to settle for walking her backwards while feasting on her neck and collarbone area. By the time they got to her room, Arisa wasn't sure she could stand. He pushed her to the bed and followed her down, being careful not to touch her torso with his. As he unbuttoned her shirt, he laid it open and followed the edge of her bra with his fingers. "More" she moaned. He obliged by flipping her over and undoing her bra before flipping her back and latching his mouth onto one pointy nub while he used his fingers to pinch and pull on the other.

Uotani had been working her way down his ribs, counting each one with her fingers, when he flipped her over and flipped her back. Startled, she could only suck in half of a breath before he latched onto her breasts, causing her breath to stick in her throat. She arched and groaned in delight. As she finished unbuttoning the last button on his pants, he rocketed her into ecstasy and she arched again. This time, she noticed that he very deliberately arched with her to keep from touching their upper bodies.

Suddenly she realized he'd never touched her chest-to-chest. In fact, she'd never seen him hug anyone. Pushing away, she sat up and stared at him. "What is it with the Sohma men? Why can't you allow yourselves to physically be close to your women?" She waved her hand. "Never mind. Just do what you're going to do, how you're going to do it, and get out. We both need relief and I'll be damned if I sacrifice that because you're frozen inside.

Haru had been running a hand through her hair. At those words, he stopped and stared at her. "Do not push me woman, I have limits and you're just about there." He leaned forward, nipping her neck. "I could hurt you, I don't want that to happen. There are constraints to what I can do, things you know nothing about."

"Because you won't let me!" She shoved at his shoulders, making him angry again. "Do what you need to, but get it over quick."

"You're not ready, and we will both later wish we hadn't." He leaned forward, caging her between himself and the bed.

"Fine! Then GET OFF of me!" This time when she went to push him off, he caught her wrists pinning her to the bed.

"Do I get off or do I stay, you have two seconds to decide." He licked her collarbone, and almost missed the faint nod of 'stay.' Given that go ahead, Haru slicked the rest of their clothes off, entering her suddenly and thrusting fast and hard until they both shouted out in the mingled pain/release associated with violent mating. Neither of them could say how long it was before he pulled out and wiped off with a corner of the sheet.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Uo saw him rub his face with his hands before getting up and putting his clothes back on. She closed her eyes and missed him turning around and looking at her with both regret and amazement. Somehow she had managed to temper the black in him, without turning him completely white. When she looked again, he was gone.

Haru walked the streets, now more confused than before. The world was changing, and he no longer understood what he saw. Determined not to let it get him depressed, he started walking home, finding himself there without any problems for the first time ever. Akito watched him walk into his quarters, happy that he had apparently not left here for a rendezvous with that Uotani bitch. Shutting the window, Akito walked to the bed, wishing Hatori was here to stand guard until sleep claimed the odd Sohma.

sssssss

Hatori was very glad he was NOT at home tonight. He was sitting on the couch in the meeting room with the woman of his recent dreams reclining on the pillow beside him. A slightly tipsy Rio leaned forward to ask a very private question. A drunken whisper, which equated to a full-volume inquiry, was heard by all the awake parties. "Do you think Honda-san is asleep yet?" He caught her before she fell into his chest. She giggled. "Whoops, sorry. I had too much sake with dinner."

Rio was as intoxicating as she was intoxicated. "Yes, Tohru-kun is asleep; but I'm not doing ANYTHING with you in this state. I'll not have you reminding me during the next fifty years worth of visits that I took advantage of you in a drunken state." She snorted in disbelief. "I'm serious. You still rub my face in the one mistake I made growing up, and that whelp turned out to be someone else's. If things with Kana-kun hadn't ended the way the way they did, I never would have gotten drunk and let that girl seduce me."

She smiled. "Like I am?"

He smiled back. "No, I'm afraid that tonight only one of us has been doing the seducing; and my little peach, it's not been you." She pouted and he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "You seduced me earlier, remember? I'm just evening the score." Her mouth widened in an 'Oh!' and Hatori took advantage to clamp onto her upper lip, running his tongue along the dip in the middle. He was trying to figure out if coffee would sober her up enough to guarantee she was making a clear-headed decision. They had been close friends for years and although he wanted to further their relationship, he was only willing to if she was in agreement.

"I think there's some ice cream and whipped topping in the kitchen." She stood unsteadily and pulled his hand.

He allowed her to think she'd pulled him off the couch and dragged him to the refrigerator. "Or at least some COFFEE."

She smiled at him and opened the door. She started scrounging around and Hatori took the opportunity to start a pot of coffee. Then he leaned against the counter and enjoyed the view. Rio was bent over, her body stuck in-between the second shelf and the crisper drawer. He could hear her muttering about how she couldn't find the ice cream, and he didn't have the heart to inform her that she was rooting around the fridge part, not the freezer. As the coffee spluttered to a stop, he gently put a hand on each side of her hips and suddenly jerked her back. She was so surprised that she froze and he was able to extricate her without a single bump or bruise.

"What was that for?" Adrenaline was a pretty good sobering agent, and Hatori was going to use that and the coffee to dry her out quick. He didn't think his tortured body could handle too long of a wait.

"Coffee's ready. I'll find the ice cream, you drink a cup of the black stuff." She started to whine, but he put a finger to her lips, stopping her cold. "No hanky-panky in your condition. Sober up, or I'm going to leave your drunk and horny ass down here while I go up to my room and take care of things in my normal manner."

She poured a cup and turned to look back at him teasingly. "With Mrs. Thumb and her four sisters?" She took a huge chug of coffee, having sobered enough from the adrenaline to realize she needed it.

"And a towel, don't forget the towel." She was humored at the picture it put in her mind, and he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "What?"

"You need this more than I do. At least I have Bob the Vibrator to keep me warm on cold, lonely nights."

They both looked at each other with amusement. Suddenly Hatori held up the can of whipped cream and a honey bear he'd located next to the stove. "So, how about if we throw Mrs. Thumb and Bob out for the evening and try milk and ambrosia instead?"

She smiled prettily and cocked a finger at him. "Bring it on big-boy."

"Are you sure you're sober?" Her arch glance laid any doubts to rest. He gently encircled her waist with his fingers and placed her on the counter, pushing on her shoulder until she was laying flat. "Tonight, I'm the artist and you're my masterpiece." She lay supine, turning only her head to look at him.

"Okay, but if you get honey on my silk robe, I will NOT be nice to you in the morning."

Two minutes later, thin trails of honey were being slowly licked off of Rio's body. Hatori wouldn't touch her anywhere except with his tongue. "Are you trying to pleasure me, or torture me?"

He chuckled evilly, causing a chill to course up her spine. "Ask any of my patients, they will all attest to my Marquis de Sade techniques."

A few minutes later, she could take no more. Sitting up suddenly, she slid of the counter. "Your turn. I'm going to be a chef, and you're my main dish." She patted the counter and he obligingly jumped up. "Lay down." He started to, when she placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "On your stomach."

The next five minutes was the most pleasant torture Hatori had ever experienced. Instead of picking up the honey or the whipped cream, Rio opened a bottle of sesame oil and slathered her hands with it, starting at his shoulders and rubbing her way down his back. He barely choked out a request that she not get oil on his pants before she told him to shuck them or sacrifice them. He wondered how much a pair of pants would cost in the long run; but decided the price would not be worth paying if Akito realized the meaning behind the stains. Pushing up, he unbuttoned and unzipped them, sliding them over his long legs before throwing them across the room at an empty kitchen chair.

"Good aim." She ran oiled hands over his buttocks, causing him to suck in a breath. "I hope your aim is always dead on." He managed to lie still until she reached under him to massage one last part. Hopping down, he stood in front of her.

"Enough hand-jobs for today." He caressed her face. "You have to tell me NOW whether we break out Bob and the Mrs., or if we finish this between the two of us."

Rio looked him dead in the face. "I'm as sober as I'm going to get. I want YOU, not Bob, not Atani, just you."

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

Hatori picked her up and placed her back on the counter, sliding between her legs. She made the perfect spot for him, and he placed her legs around his waist before thrusting true, making them both groan simultaneously.

There was very little noise for the next few minutes. Just heavy breathing, the sucking sounds associated with intercourse, and the occasional grunt or moan. Suddenly the silence was broken with an "Oh!" and a "Hatori!" Then the frogs were the only noise in the night.

When he finally realized what planet he was on, Hatori pulled out and turned around, picking her up and climbing the stairs to his room without letting her body touch his chest. Placing her in his bed, he left long enough to retrieve a washcloth and make things a little more comfortable for both of them. Touched by his thoughtfulness, Rio smiled and thanked him. Hatori climbed back in bed and turned his back to her, placing a pillow between them so that they could be close without risking a transformation. Just before he fell asleep, a stray thought occurred to him. _Atani?_ Concerned, he whispered in the dark. "Who's Atani?"

Rio chuckled silently, and laid a hand on his back. "My bullet vibrator. If Bob is the big one, Atani is the one that keeps me going all day long." She placed her hand between his shoulder and his neck and went to sleep. Hatori was now wide-awake with the thought that she'd been walking around all day with Atani for company.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

_Too bad she's so tired, now I'm ready for round two._ Resigned to dealing with it, he told his _other _partner to settle down, and slowly fell asleep.

**A/N:** Well, I hope each of you has had a great week! Sorry I didn't get this done yesterday, but Batman won out over FanFiction. Good movie, great plot, lots of humor for such a dark film. I can't believe I actually agreed with Ebert and Roper for once, I gave it a two-thumbs up. In fact, if it hadn't been 11pm, I would have turned around and bought another ticket.

If this chapter is out of bounds for ratings, someone let me know. I tried to keep it within the guidelines, and I marked it very well so everyone had plenty of opportunity to SKIP the lemons. However, I don't want to get booted because my idea of NC-17 and isn't the same.


	14. Umpires and Pitch Hitters

**Disclaimer:** As always, Fanfic fiction created by fans, not owners of. Therefore, I'm doing this gratis because I love the characters. I hope you love my version too. These wonderful characters are the gifts of Natsuki Takaya.

**Chapter 14: Umpires and pitch hitters**

The next morning, Tohru walked into the kitchen to find a very happy Rio cooking breakfast, and a very quiet Hatori reading the newspaper. She yawned widely and asked if she could help. When Rio refused her assistance, Tohru sat down and looked out the window. Hatori looked over his paper and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Folding the sports page up to read later, he set the whole thing on the table and leaned forward on his arms.

"What's wrong Tohru-kun? You look like your dreams were plagued by demons."

She blinked and blushed before turning to him. "Not demons exactly." She looked back out at the pond as a great white egret rose with a fish in its claws. "But I was being chased by creatures making moaning noises, and Kyo and Yuki would only stare and tell me I was getting what I deserved." She missed the look the two lovers gave each other at the 'moaning noises' comment, Rio suddenly had to leave the room to cool off a red face. Hatori just grinned evilly before turning back to his charge.

ssssss

Yuki was standing outside of the Sohma compound, looking like he hadn't slept all night, which he hadn't. Hoping their plan didn't backfire, he opened the gate and walked into his reoccurring nightmare. He found Akito sitting on a small bench, watching the leaves blow in the breeze. They hadn't started turning yet, but it was that time of year. Akito was surprised to see Yuki, and even more surprised when Yuki walked up to Akito, fell on his knees, and wrapped his hands around Akito's waist, laying his head in Akito's lap much like a child would.

ssssss

Kyo was fighting demons of his own. In order to get Tohru back, he had to pay his own price. Turning the corner to the dojo, he was greeted with the black-haired woman who had become a shadow to Akito's plan. "Kagura-san. Can we talk?"

ssssss

Shigure peered out from under the covers of his bed when the phone rang. Realizing there was no one else at home to answer it, he cursed and reached under the mattress to retrieve the cordless he'd hidden when Tohru left. "What?"

Ayame was as bright as normal, and Shigure could almost see him standing like a willow, wrapping the phone cord around one long finger while preparing to whisper all the juiciest secrets. "Good morning Gure-kun. Did you sleep well?" Shigure grunted. "I thought we may have shared the same dream again last night; but by your foul mood, I can tell it was only I."

"What do you want? I was up half the night finishing the love scene in The Ravished Flower." Aaya laughed.

Shigure could hear Ayame pull the phone away from his mouth. "Mine, Shigure is working on another one. It's called The Ravished Flower." Mine looked over with a gleam in her eyes. He blew her a kiss before turning back to the phone. "I believe Mine is willing to proof it for you before you send it on."

"It's not done yet. Did you call to talk to me about my book, or to update me on the children?" Shigure fished a cigarette out of an almost empty pack and slapped at the pile of books beside the bed until he located the lighter. Flicking the lighter on, he lit up, sighing deeply as he exhaled.

"You know that those things will kill you." Ayame half-heartedly lectured.

"Being a Sohma is going to kill me. The cigarettes just make it bearable." They both laughed, neither willing to argue.

"Well, according to my spies, my little brother showed up at the compound and was seen entering Akito's lair."

"Oh shit!"

"I don't know anything else, I just hope Akito goes easy on him." Ayame hated that he'd let Akito hurt Yuki so badly when he was a child, he just hoped that Yuki was strong enough now to handle a second helping.

"And Kyo was seen with Kagura this morning. No one could hear what was being said, but they were talking like two old people, not two children. Kagura was not even clinging to him." He walked over and fingered a piece of yellow silk, looking at Mine with sleepy eyes. _I think I need to see her in this fabric as a Chinese princess. _Mine was pinning the hem on a nurse's outfit. Absently Ayame started drawing a sketch, not really paying attention to the person on the other end of the line.

Shigure knew Ayame had moved on to other endeavors and hung the phone up. Snuggling back into the bed, he never heard when his editor banged on his door and heaped curses on his head for being so obnoxious to work with.

Ayame waited until the young lady in the nurse's outfit had left before turning to Mine. "Mine, I need you for a minute."

She pushed the glasses back up her nose and stood to walk over to him. "Yes Boss?"

Ayame pulled out a tape measure and whipped it around her, getting the critical measurements before turning back to his paper. He waved a hand, dismissing her, and Mine blushed prettily before turning back to greet another customer. They both worked in silence, neither speaking unless it was to confer on a design or a change a customer requested.

Right after lunch, Ayame disappeared into his workshop, and Mine continued to tend the store. Since she knew what the boss wanted most of the time, she was not worried about getting his opinion on even the toughest customer's design. It was almost closing time when a small girl with sad eyes and straight brown hair crept into the store. Mine was sitting on the floor with pins in her mouth when she saw the child. Putting a soft hand on her client's foot, she asked to be excused for a moment.

The girl was huddled in the corner, and Mine automatically registered the defensive posture. She quickly dropped down onto her knees and put her hands in her lap in a non-threatening posture. "Can I help you?"

Kisa looked up into the kind face of the woman in front of her. "Is Oji-chan here?"

Mine blinked. _Oji-chan?_ She suddenly nodded. "Hai, I'll bring him to you, please don't move." Mine stood and walked to the door of Ayame's workshop, stopping only to knock before entering. Ayame was putting tulle around the edges of the most beautiful yukata Mine had ever seen. "Oh!"

Ayame turned at the sound. "Mine! I was going to surprise you." He thought for a second. "Surprise!" She smiled and walked over to look at it, tears of joy running down her face. "So…what brought you into my sanctuary?"

"I almost forgot. There is a little girl looking for her uncle. She has very sad eyes and brown hair…" Ayame was already out the door.

"Kisamisa, where are you?" The pat-pat of little feet got louder as she ran around the corner of a stack of shelves and threw herself at Ayame. He knelt down, looking at her worriedly. "What's wrong little one?"

"It's Yuki!" Ayame felt his heart stop in his chest. "You have to help him!"

"What's wrong with Yuki?" Ayame brushed his hair back trying to appear unconcerned.

"When I stopped by to see Momiji today, I could hear Yuki crying very softly. When I finally found him, he was shut in a dark room, only Akito for company."

_Oh Yuki, what have you gotten into? Are you doing this for Tohru, or because of Tohru?_ He put on a happy face and turned back to Kisa. "Yuki is having a hard time. I'm sure everything is okay."

She looked up, tears running down her face. "No, it's not. It's the same sound I make when Akito hurts me."

Ayame clenched his fists, hating what the head of the Sohmas was doing to the younger children. The previous head had been harsh, but not cruel. "Is Hatori-kun back yet?"

Kisa shook her head. "No, Momiji said that he'll be back tonight."

_Hang in there Yuki, I'll be there soon._ "Well, why don't you go find Hiro-chan and spend the day with him. Let me take care of my little brother." He wiped the tears from her cheeks and carried her to the door. When they reached the door, Ayame pretended to dump her on the ground, earning a shriek and a laugh. He sat her gently down, patted her head, and sent her on her way. While he was talking with Kisa, Mine had finished with their client and closed the shop. He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head in thanks before gathering his coat and heading out. Mine watched him put on his blue-velvet overcoat, helping him with his buttons. Then she took another moment to look at the new dress before heading home herself.

**A/N:** Konbanwa. Just wanted to keep my promise to submit next chapter on Wed/Thur. yawn Now I'm off to bed. Goodnight.


	15. Curve Balls and Stolen Bases

**Disclaimer:** KareKano is owned by Masami Tsuda. If I was writing a KareKano fic, it would not belong to me. FruitsBasket (Fuburu) is owned by Natsuki Takaya. It is also not owned by me. I enjoy reading KareKano, and I enjoy reading FruitsBasket. I enjoy writing fiction to Fuburu, and remind everyone (as I finish reading Vol. 11) that this is NOT based off of volume 11, it is based off of everything up through Vol. 7, Chapter 42. Enjoy!

**Chapter 15: Curve balls and stolen bases**

"So you've come to beg me to remove Honda-san from your household." Akito was sitting in the window seat, watching the willow tree outside the window sway in the breeze. A slightly bruised Yuki knelt at his feet, persistent in his request.

"Yes, she is an influence on all of us; and I have decided that she gives incorrect impressions, lies about things if you will." He raised his head and Akito saw the anger in his face.

"When did you figure this out?" Akito did not believe that Yuki hated Tohru.

"About two weeks ago, I started noticing that Honda-san would wait until people were watching to have her 'mom moments.' When it's just her, she doesn't think twice about her mother; but when someone is around, all of a sudden she's eaten with guilt over her mother's death, or she remembers some witty thing that her mother said." Yuki stood and started pacing. "Then one night I heard her on the phone to that Yankee friend of hers, talking about how selfless everyone thought she was; but if they really knew, she was actually quite self-centered."

"Go on." Akito believed this much. He's seen the same thing when he met her last year.

"I just started watching and noticed more and more inconsistencies between word and deed." He turned and looked Akito in the face. "You know how much I dislike the cat…" Akito nodded. "I even mentioned it to him, afraid I was imagining things. He started mentioning little things she did around him, like giving him lots of attention when people were there to notice; but acting as if she couldn't even see him if it was just the two of them." He turned back to the window. "This is very hurtful to the cat because he has feelings for her. Her cold demeanor is harmful to his self-esteem." Yuki turned back and walked over to Akito, leaning right in his ear and lowering his voice. "In fact, it's been enjoyable to watch."

"Enjoyable to watch the bastard suffer?"

Yuki nodded. "Your plan to have Kagura start school with us actually worked well for Kyo. He's been transferring all that emotion over to one who can understand him and wants to return that passion."

Akito's brows frowned. "I thought Hatsuharu and Kagura were publicly an item."

"Oh, they are. But privately…" Suddenly Yuki chuckled. "A pig and a cat…would off-spring be furry and oink, or have curly tails and chase mice?"

"DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT, NOT EVEN FOR A MOMENT!" Akito backhanded Yuki, sending him reeling towards the door. Long slender hands caught him as he slammed into a velvet-covered chest.

"Akito, strong-handed tactics at evening tea-time?" Ayame made a point of looking at his watch. "How about if we all enjoy a strong cup of Keemun first?"

Akito acquiesced and followed the willowy man through the halls into the eating area. Yuki followed behind, realizing the invitation was for both of them.

Ayame was in the middle of the elaborate tea ceremony he was famous for when Akito again spoke. "So, when did Kagura start dating that bastard of a cat?"

Without even looking up, Ayame answered. "About four days ago. Let's see…" Ayame placed the first cup in front of Akito, kept the second cup, and handed the third cup to Yuki, establishing the rank of the three. "School started on Monday, it's now Saturday…Mmm…four days." He sighed dreamily into his cup. "Young love, I so well remember it!"

Suddenly Akito stood up and stomped out of the room. Both brothers continued to enjoy their tea as they listened to him stomp down the hall. Ayame looked over at his brother and grabbed his hands, leaning close. "Did I do something to earn your respect?" Yuki blinked and slowly nodded, uncertain as to WHY Ayame had lied. "Oh calm down. I might not have been willing to see the truth last time, but you're not the only one who has gotten stronger with age. Do Kyo and Kagura know about your plot?"

"Yes, but Gure-san does not."

Ayame laughed delightfully. "Oh, he's had his head between some woman's legs all week, what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Wha?…" Yuki was beet red with surprise and embarrassment at his oldest housemate.

Ayame waved his hand. "No…he's writing a sex scene. Not participating in one." Yuki wasn't sure this was the better choice. "It keeps him away from the young girls doesn't it?"

"You have a point." Yuki smiled and enjoyed the rest of his tea.

When Akito returned, Yuki was still sitting at the table; but Ayame was long gone. The rat looked up and patted the seat next to him.

Akito sat and leaned into Yuki's chest. "How badly do you hate Honda?"

"She is repulsive to me." _Now that's the first lie I've told, the rest were carefully bent half-truths._

"Is she as repulsive as a pink cat that oinks?"

Yuki blanched. "No one is THAT repulsive."

"If Kyo is interested in a shallow, selfish girl, who isn't that pretty either, we'll give him what he wants." He looked at the young man who appeared to be bristling in anger. He gently ran a hand down the cheek he'd slapped, pleased when Yuki did not flinch. "For me? You would do this for me?"

Yuki turned and kissed the hand that had dealt him so much agony over the years. "For you, I'll make that sacrifice."

ssssss

Tohru was helping Rio clean up from lunch when Hatori's phone started ringing. Hari pulled it out of his pocket and walked out of the room. "Hello Akito, what's wrong?" He listened silently until Akito finished. "So you _don't_ want me to come home until tomorrow? I thought you wanted me home tonight."

"I changed my mind." Akito looked over at the young man who was sitting prettily beside him at the table. "And bring Honda back with you." He smiled as Yuki's eyes flashed with hatred. _So you weren't lying about hating Honda, little rat._

"Fine. Tomorrow." Akito hung up and Hatori put the phone back in his pocket. He walked back into the kitchen and laid a hand on the middle of Rio's back. "I don't have to leave until tomorrow. And Tohru-kun, you are to come back with me."

Tohru hesitantly smiled. "I'm going to walk down to the bottom of the falls." She finished putting up the last dish and left the room to get her shoes.

Rio leaned back and looked at him. "One more day of vacation huh?"

Hatori gave her another genuine smile, she had now counted three. "Yes. Guess I better make the most of it."

"Mmm…" She dried her hands off and patted his cheek before walking the towels into the laundry room.

ssssss

Akito turned back to Yuki, who had been quietly sitting and listening to everything that was being said. "Is that okay with you, my little man?'

"Not really," he smiled deviously, "but I understand your plan."

"Good! Now go find the cat and make sure he's not impregnating my sweet Kagura while I arrange for Honda-san to come back to the Shigure Household."

Yuki left in a foul mood, running into Haru walking in the gate.

"Yuki!" Haru went to grab his shirt, but Yuki sidestepped him.

"Don't." He never slowed down, so Haru turned and followed him.

"What's wrong?"

Yuki just kept walking. Finally he calmed down and looked at Haru. "I've been made to do something horrible and it has turned me sour."

"Oh? What?"

_Kissed someone, with sweet emotion, who I would rather avoid for all eternity._ "I must go back to Shigure's house and await Kyo and Tohru's return."

Haru blinked wisely and smiled. "Very crafty, the rat really IS the smartest of the signs." He thought he saw Yuki wink before turning and taking in his surroundings.

"Um, Haru…" Haru raised an eyebrow. "I know this may sound ludicrous, but do you have ANY idea where we are?"

Haru looked around and smiled. "Yup, two blocks from the compound, quite a long way from your house."

Yuki was staring slack-jawed. "Since when did you know where you were?" He took a close look. "And are you Black or White Haru, I can't tell."

"Well technically, I've always been exactly where I am at that moment. As for my mood, I'd say I was light grey, but only since last night when Uotani and I slep…uh…very recently."

"You…and Uo-chan?"

Haru looked dazed. "Yeah, but I'm afraid I blew it by not holding her, regardless of the consequences."

"I'll talk to her, it's the only thing I can do to repay you."

"For?"

"Finding Kyo and Kagura and bringing them to Shigure's house." Yuki set off in the correct direction while Haru chuckled and started on his mission.

ssssss

Uo was slamming through the park, kicking every pile of leaves and stomping in every puddle she walked through. "Stupid imbecilic muddle-headed spawn of a bull's mother."

Saki walked slightly behind in order to preserve the integrity of her clothing. "Are we still talking about Haru?"

"Yes!" She looked up and realized they were surrounded by trees. "Where the hell are we anyways?"

"I thought that was Haru's line. Surely you're not lost."

"You bet your sweet bippy I am. All day has been really fucked up. First I can't find my keys, then I lose my homework." She whipped around to Hanajima. "Which got me detention, I note. Then you find me wandering the street, turned backwards and confused." She suddenly stopped. "It's almost as if we traded places when we slept together."

Saki, known for her composure, suddenly tripped and bumped into Uo. "What? You SLEPT with Haru…as in HAD SEX with him?" Uo blushed. "He's younger than you."

"In age only." She kicked a pebble and watched it splash into another puddle. "Besides, it wasn't anything worth talking about. It was quick and dirty."

"Yes, but did he leave you satisfied?"

Uo thought for a few seconds. "You know, he did." She walked up to Saki and leaned close. "He also said he was out of control and didn't really want it to happen that way because we'd both have regrets."

"Do you?"

"Not really. I just wish I understood him better, why he did things the way he did." She started walking. "But I'm almost tempted to investigate whether he's still getting lost."

"He's not." Both girls stopped and looked towards the voice. Yuki walked out from behind a bush. "Isn't it a little dark out here to enjoy a good tromp through the park?"

"He's not getting lost?"

"No. Perfect sense of direction. Guess that means you rubbed off and vice-versa."

"What do I do?"

Both Saki and Yuki grinned and spoke at the same time. "Sleep with him again."

She stood frozen to the spot while Yuki and Saki discussed the peculiarities of a relationship in which the partners traded quirks every time they had sex. They were around the bend before she snapped to and ran to catch up.

"Hey, were you spying on me Yuki?" She grabbed his shoulder stopping his forward motion.

"Yes."

"You're a rat, you know this?"

He quirked a grin. "Yes." He suddenly turned to look at her. "But I'm also the only one who can get the two of you in a position to reverse your predicament."

"Whatever. Let's go. Take the lost girl home please."

ssssss

In another part of Japan, Tohru was having problems sleeping. After several turns in the bed, she decided to get some fresh air. She was thinking about how to act with the boys as she stepped down into the kitchen. Would they still be ignoring her? _Better ignore them just to be on the safe side._ Reaching the French doors leading out to the deck, she noticed one set was open. _Funny, they were all closed earlier._

Hearing a noise, she looked over towards the edge of the pond. Rio was kneeling on the ground. Tohru had just opened her mouth to check on her when Rio's yukata suddenly fell off her shoulders. Confused, Tohru kept her silence. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized that Rio was straddling Hatori and neither of them needed to be bothered. Slightly embarrassed but very curious, Tohru watched as Hatori put his hands on Rio's waist and thrust his hips up, causing Rio to throw her head back and moan. _So that's why I had such weird dreams last night._ She stayed to watch for a moment longer, getting an idea about establishing rhythm, before heading back to bed to dream of two boys yelling at her for much better reasons than anger. The couple at the pond spent the remaining night handling the details of their relationship.

ssssss

Haru found Kyo and Kagura at about the same time as Uotani arrived home. She went directly to bed unaware of the big meeting happening at the Sohma house.

**A/N:** I didn't mark the one sentence lemon. If I'm very bad, call me on it; but I felt it was ridiculous to mark one line.

Amayou, thank you! That's one of the biggest compliments a writer can ever receive.

Everyone, have a great week! I'm warning you now, I'll be either late posting the week of July 10th, or early. It'll be Saturday the 9th, or Saturday the 16th. My internet will be unavailable that week.

Later-TK


	16. Scrambled and Unscrambled Eggs

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FruitsBasket or Fuburu, Natsuki Takaya has that privilege. I do own the computer on which I write these non-profit forays into their lives. Please enjoy, at no expense.

**Chapter 16: Scrambled and unscrambled eggs**

The next morning the younger Sohmas woke to a criminally energetic Shigure singing to some sappy REM song while flipping eggs and sipping tea.

Bleary-eyed, normally uber-hyper Momiji shuffled into the room. "Gure, was are you doing?"

Shigure grinned and pointed at the pan. "Cooking breakfast."

Momiji rubbed his eyes sleepily. "But why?"

Patting Momiji's curly hair, he waved at the fully set table. "Well, since the children were up so late solving the Sohma's problems, I thought the adult could solve Sohma Hunger this morning."

"Sohma Hunger…an homage to World Hunger?" Haru sat at the table and looked up at Shigure, waiting for his plate.

"That's an awfully large word for you to use this early in the morning." He spooned eggs and rice onto a plate and walked over to the table. Haru took it and dug in without replying. "And are you black or white today, ushi?"

"Somewhere in between." At Shigure's raised eyebrow, he glared at him. "And don't push it. I've been walking a razor's edge all fucking weekend."

"So why the hell are you so happy this morning?" Kyo shuffled in and sat down.

Shigure danced over and bussed him on the top of the head, like he would a son, then dropped a scoop of egg and rice on his plate. "Because Akito called…and Tohru will be back today." He stopped as a very sleepy Yuki stumbled in. "Hello Yuki!" His grin broadened.

"Don't…speak…to…me." Gure backed off. Yuki's demeanor was completely dark.

Shigure passed a plate full of food to him, then took a cigarette out of his pack and sat down to smoke. Kagura nervously peeked her head around the corner and quickly decided it was okay. Shigure looked up and waved her to the last empty seat. "Good, all the players are here."

"Players?" Haru and Kagura both asked.

"Yes. I'll tell you that I don't always agree with Akito, but I usually back him. However, with all of you saying the same thing, I might cede that maybe Akito chose poorly this one time. That said, I finished my novel and was checking on the status of the world when all of my younger family came in. I went back to my room to give you space. However, you all talk very loudly and I couldn't help but hear what was said."

"So, are you going to tell Akito?" Kagura sat nervously awaiting his answer.

"Yuki's the rat, not me." He looked over at the young man who freely admitted to NOT being a morning person. "I might not stand against Akito, but if Akito has the wrong understanding about everything, that's his fault for making the wrong opinions." He grinned. "Besides, when Tohru-kun comes back, I can again have clean underwear!"

As one, all of the Sohma's looked over at him in disgust. "Eew!"

ssssss

Kagura caught up with Kyo and Yuki as they headed back upstairs to clean up the rooms. They had put Kagura and Momiji in Tohru's room. Haru and Kyo had bunked with Yuki; but to Haru's disgust and Kyo's relief, he'd drawn the line at them sharing his bed. After they put the last futon up, Kagura tapped Yuki's arm, stopping him from leaving Tohru's room.

"Can I talk with you two for a moment?" She was looking at Yuki instead of Kyo, but Kyo knew she needed his presence to say what needed to be said.

"Yes." Yuki looked at Kyo. "You two talked for a long time yesterday." He glanced back at the young woman. "Haru said that when he found you, you were both sitting in adjoining chairs at a sorbet parlor. 'Not as intimate as sitting across from each other.' He said it was almost as if you were acting only as friends."

"Can we talk here, or do we need to go elsewhere?"

Kyo stepped in. "We can't talk here." They were still standing beside the window, so he grabbed Kagura's hand. "Climb on, and don't let go."

"Whaaa?" She barely had time to screech before they were sitting on top of the roof. She was now clinging VERY tightly to Kyo.

"Get off of me!"

"I'm afraid of heights. Why are we up here?"

A small voice from below them answered. "Because Shigure can't hear us up here; and we can talk, quietly, about what you need us to hear."

They both looked down at the white rat. "Couldn't you get up here any other way?"

"If I could, I would have. You know I dislike heights, and I'm a better climber in my animal form."

"But you're…" poof Yuki stood in front of them in his beautiful naked form "going to be naked." Kyo was flustered, and Kagura stared for a second longer than she needed to.

"If it bothers you, give me your shirt or something." Yuki turned so his back was to the others. "I couldn't bring clothes up here with me."

Suddenly a dress flew at him. Kagura was zipping up her bag. "Put that on until I can get the courage to get down off of Kyo's back."

"Hurry up already, you're heavy!" She smacked Kyo and he growled under his breath.

Finally she realized that if Yuki could climb up here by himself, although he was afraid; the boys would not let anything happen to her. She released her death grip, and shaking feet tentatively touched the shingles on the roof.

"We don't have a lot of time to talk, it gets hot up here quickly during the day." Yuki looked at Kyo. "Can I have that shirt now?"

"But I think you'd look cute in that dress, if you put it on instead of just holding it in front of your parts." Kyo grinned evilly.

"I'm going to want that laundered before you give it back to me." Kagura sat on the roof and pulled her knees up for support.

A boy settled on each side of her and Yuki leaned forward slightly to smile at her. "So, why are we here again?"

"Well…." She looked over as Kyo gently slid his hand under one of hers, gripping it to give her moral support. "Two months ago, I met someone." She looked at her lap. "He's not a Sohma, and we love each other."

"Does he know?"

She turned to look at Yuki. "Not yet. That's not a problem though. He had potbellied pigs for pets when he was young. He's allergic to fur." She blushed. "The problem is that Akito saw us together two weeks ago. I told him that we were only study partners, and Logan played along with it when I explained that if Akito knew we were dating, he'd remove me from Logan's life."

She sighed. "As punishment for making friends with a male, Akito told me I had to come back to school and find a way to ruin things between Tohru and yourselves. Break the spell she had put on all of you, if possible."

Yuki snorted. "As if your presence would do anything but announce Akito's plan to try and damage Tohru." He looked out into the trees. "But in order to be with your Logan, Akito needs to think that you're not with Logan."

A tear fell down her cheek, and Kyo reached over with his free hand and wiped it off. "Kags, you know we want you to be happy." She sniffed. "We'll find a place you two can be together," she blushed, "not sexually, unless you want it." Kyo looked away, embarrassed. "But someplace safe, where Akito won't find out." He looked out over the edge too. "It might take us a while, but we'll keep this promise to you."

Yuki stood. "Come on, we need to get going, they'll be looking for us."

**A/N:** Reminder…next week I will not post on my regular days. I will post again Saturday the 16th. That's when I'll have my internet back. Have a great week. -TK


	17. Stealing Home and Pop Flies

**Disclaimer: **Fanfiction: A genre of writing in which the writer creates a unique plot-line using characters that have been created by another person. The fanfiction cannot be used for monetary gain because the characters belong to another writer. Furubu (Fruitsbasket) belongs to Natsuki Takaya, along with all the associated characters. Enjoy.

**Chapter 17: Stealing Home and Pop Flies**

On the trip home, Tohru was unusually quiet. Beginning to worry, Hatori looked over. "Are you okay?"

Tohru blushed and looked out her window.

"Are you sure? You really are acting strange."

Tohru took so long to answer than Hatori was almost worried.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He exhaled in relief. "Sure."

"Of a personal nature?"

"Yes."

"Um…" her fiery face turned to look at him, but she didn't make eye contact. "If I was to get pregnant by a Sohma, would my child be a Sohma?"

Hatori had NOT been prepared for that. An oncoming truck honking at him caused him to jerk the wheel throwing them back into the correct lane. "Dammit…what?"

"If I slept with a…"

Hatori interrupted her. "Stop. Akito didn't damage my hearing. I just can't believe what I heard." He pulled over at the first convenient location and threw the car in 'park' before turning to face her. "You aren't sleeping with Kyo or Yuki are you?"

Her face turned even redder. "NO!" She mumbled something.

"What?"

"I was just curious." She stared hard out of her side window, wishing she were invisible.

"You've never been curious before, why now?" She was still trying to come up with a good explanation when the car horn went off, a single long continuous honk. Tohru whipped around to see Hatori's head on the top of the steering wheel, his chest pushing the horn in.

"Hatori-san…" She reached a hand out to him and tapped his shoulder. He sat back up but continued to stare out the front windshield.

"You saw us last night." It wasn't a question, it needed no reply. "This question is a direct result of what you saw isn't it?" He turned his head as she nodded. "You know, if Akito finds out about Rio, she will suffer for it."

"As would you." She grasped her hands together. "I have been keeping Sohma secrets since day one, do you not trust me?"

He blinked. Although she seemed so young and immature, she had proven herself to act older than those her same age. "I trust you." He reached over and ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle. "So, do you really want an answer to your question?"

She blushed again, but nodded.

"If a Sohma and a regular person get together and create another life, unless one of the zodiac was currently unclaimed, they would not have to worry. However, Sohmas tend to stay in the same families. So as an example, if Ritsu died and the monkey was not claimed, and you got pregnant with Kyo's baby, you MIGHT have a child that embodied the spirit of the monkey. Maybe not. Your chances of having a Sohma offspring are less with Kyo than with Yuki." He shook his head. _ I can't believe I'm having this discussion with the onigiri._

"Why Yuki and not Kyo?" Although she was about to spontaneously combust from embarrassment, she wanted to understand.

"Because his family has two Sohmas, and the cat is cursed and the other signs tend to shy from that family line."

"Oh." She looked back out of the window again, not turning to look at him until he chuckled.

"What am I going to do with this younger group of people, you have no respect for the proprieties." He put the car back in 'drive' and started back down the road.

"Gomen! I didn't mean to be disrespectful or improper."

"Oh Tohru, I'm just humored by you, not offended. I'm glad you asked rather than walk unaware into a relationship with one of them. Craftily he looked over at her. "So, if you HAD to choose, who would it be?"

She blinked twice before answering. "I don't think I could choose between them. I think Saki is interested in Kyo, I would never take him from her. I guess that would leave me with Yuki."

"And is that such a bad choice?"

She thought back to the times he gave her a ribbon for her hair, searched her out to apologize for his attitude, planted strawberries just for her, and even tried to get the snake-Ayame skinned for climbing up her dress searching for warmth. "No, he's a perfect choice."

Hatori hummed, it helped relieve him of the nicotine withdraws he'd been dealing with since Rio took away his smokes and told him that she didn't want to be licking the inside of any ashtray. He thought her reasoning was completely sound and valid; but facts didn't negate the shakes he was suffering. "I agree. So, are you going to consummate your relationship with Yuki tonight?"

"WHAT?" Her chin was practically sitting in her lap.

"Because if you were thinking about it, we'd need to stop for condoms. I'm afraid I've used all of the ones I carry." _And a couple of Rio's in addition._

Blushing furiously, she fought to maintain eye contact. "Uh, I don't think I need any condoms right now."

He loved needling her. "Oh, I see. Going to go ahead and get pregnant now while all of the signs are currently in use."

She was about to freak out when she noticed the devilish gleam in his eye. "You're teasing me, right?"

He smiled again, and Tohru made a mental note that 'vacationing' was good for him. "Yes, just teasing. Take your time, hell, marry a normal man and forget about all of us." He looked wistful for an instant. "It'd be a LOT easier than dealing with all of the problems that are part of being with a Sohma."

Tohru, never one to catch a hint, looked at him. "It appeared to me that Rio found a very suitable way of dealing with 'all of the problems' of being with a Sohma."

"Mmmhmmm…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "That wasn't exactly what I was talking about; but yes, there are multiple ways to overcome that problem." He turned and looked at her with a very serious glare. "And I'll be drawn and quartered before I show you any more of them." They both laughed and finished the drive in companionable discussion.

ssssss

Saki was waiting for the boys when they left the compound later that morning. She was wearing black jeans and a black poet's shirt, tightly laced up the back with frilly sleeves hanging over her hands. They both walked over to find out what was happening.

Kyo spoke first. "Hey Hana-chan. You stalking us or what?"

"As delicate as ever," Yuki muttered. Saki heard him and smiled.

"I need to talk with Yuki for a moment." Kyo started to walk off, but she snagged the edge of his sleeve. "But don't leave, I'm really here to see you."

Kyo glared, his figurative ears lying back on his head. "You can't have both of us, I refuse to share with him!" Yuki reached over and smacked the back of his head. "Oww! What was that for?"

Yuki glared. "For being a baka. Go stand near that tree and wait for me to finish talking with Hana-chan so you two can hang out." He pointed at a very large maidenhead tree, its fan-shaped leaves providing abundant shade. He turned back to Saki. "So, what do you need to discuss with me?"

"Uotani. She's almost helpless, we can't leave things as they are. Haru is used to being lost, plus he's a boy. Uo-chan is going to get hurt, or worse, if this keeps on."

He crossed his arms over his chest and thought for a second. "I have a plan, but it will take all of us."

Waving at Kyo to join them, he told them his plan. Two minutes later, Kyo and Saki walked into the Sohma household while Yuki headed over to Uotani's apartment.

Uotani was not a happy camper. It had rained on her tent, and the mosquitoes were out in full force. Or at least that's what she would have thought if she were an outdoorsy type. What she did know was that she'd been living the life of the perpetually lost since Friday evening, and it sucked. When someone knocked on her door, she was tempted not to answer it.

"Answer the door Uo-chan, it's Yuki." Well, that was a good way to light a fire under her feet.

Throwing open the door, she glared at him. "It'd better be good."

"As good as Friday night."

"I'll bite."

"I know how to fix you, you just need to trust me." She turned and grabbed her keys without a second thought. "Yuki, if you'll fix me, I'd follow you to Hamlin."

ssssss

Haru was having a slightly harder time falling into place. "You want me to go with you shopping, for groceries?" Saki was acting all evasive, Kyo looked very overtaxed at this request, and Haru didn't believe anything those two were saying. "Why don't you tell me the truth for once."

Kyo started to talk, but Saki interrupted him. "He wants the truth, let's tell him the truth." Kyo nodded. "Uo-chan is getting lost wherever she goes. This is a direct result of something you two did Friday night." She acknowledged his blush and continued. "She got lost in a bad part of town last night and I cannot find her. I enlisted Kyo and Yuki's help to find her; but I really need your sense of direction." Kyo gave her an _I thought we were going to tell the TRUTH_ look, but Saki shook her head.

Haru had thrown on a jacket and grabbed his cell phone before they could finish their non-verbal communication. Walking to the door, he looked back. "Well…are you coming or are you going to sit there and pick your noses all day?"

They walked toward the gate. "Pick my nose?" Kyo looked at Haru, who was unperturbed about everything except finding Arisa Uotani. "Couldn't you come up with a better thing to say than that?"

Saki laid a hand on his arm and shook her head. Haru noticed and grinned. "So, you two sleeping together yet?"

"WHAT?" Both of them instinctively took two steps away from each other and stopped, looking at Haru.

He walked up to them. "You should, you are both freaks and I think you would make a great couple. Now come on, we have to find Arisa-chan!" He started walking again, but Saki touched his sleeve, shocking him slightly. "What gives you the right to call her Arisa?"

"Well, I think when you sleep with a woman, and don't pay her for it, you get the right to call her by her first name. Besides, I'll be damned if I call my lover by her last name."

"Your lover, as in not a one-night-stand?"

Haru blushed. "I hadn't planned on it being a one time thing. In fact, I hadn't planned at all, I was Black Haru at the time. But, I've had feelings towards her for quite some time, and was just trying to determine how best to approach her. I wish we hadn't gotten into that street brawl, I wish…" they suddenly had to strain to hear him "I could fix a lot of things that didn't happen correctly." He kicked a rock, not watching where it went. "But Black Haru got hold of her first, and she'll probably never allow me the chance to show her that I can also be caring and gentle. I'm not all macho punk."

"Coulda fooled me," Kyo muttered, earning a lightly shocking smack from Saki. "Ow!"

"Did you mean it?" A tall blonde walked around the corner of the gate.

"Uotani!"

"Uo-chan!"

"Arisa?"

**A/N:** Internet is good. Internet is my friend. Food poisoning is not. I apologize for not posting last night, but I couldn't get away from the porcelain temple to post. I hope everyone had a GREAT week, and I will post again at my regularly scheduled time this week. -TK


	18. That Spoonful of Sugar

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FruitsBasket, Natsuki Takaya owns these characters. I don't even own the next chapter, since this is the last one. Please enjoy.

**Chapter 18: That Spoonful of Sugar**

"Did you mean what you just said?" She looked at Haru.

"About caring for you? Yes." She rushed to him and he caught her shoulders, preventing her from hugging him. Neither of them saw the others walk away.

"There are things about me that you don't know and might not understand."

She pulled back and looked at him. 'So, tell me."

"First we need to reverse this weird malady we're both suffering from."

"You just want sex." She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"No…well, yes…but that's not why." He put his hands on her face, bracketing her mouth and cheeks. "If you get lost in the wrong part of town, you could get hurt. And although you can hold your own, quite well, I don't want anything to happen to you." He kissed her gently on the lips, then a little harder just because she was his captive for the moment. "Then we talk about our relationship." They walked off towards the woods. "But we'll have to keep it a secret."

Uotani stopped in her tracks. "Whoa buster. Are you ashamed of me?"

"No, but my sempai is very jealous and is likely to hurt you if he knows we're dating."

She chuckled unkindly. "You do know that I used to be one of the top members if the Reckless Gang."

"No shittin'?"

"No shittin."

He smiled. "What is the phrase the Americans use…Bring it on?"

She smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the trees. "Exactly."

Saki turned to Yuki. "Should we follow?"

Yuki smiled. "Only if you're going to imitate them." He looked pointedly at Kyo. "In fact, I think you should."

Kyo glared at the rat. "Saki, there are things about me that are not pretty. I don't believe you will be able to accept me. I've only found one who could." He looked at her.

"Tohru-kun." He nodded. "Than please give me the opportunity to discover if I can be as good of a person."

He looked at the path the two others had gone. "We must take our own path in this journey." She took the hint and they set off for another part of the Sohma land. "And I'm NOT having sex with you."

Yuki chuckled to himself. "Yet." He followed at a very discrete distance, only staying long enough to see her accept Kyo's true form. Then he headed back to the house. _How fortunate for Kyo to find not one woman, but two who accept all of who he is._

ssssss

When Hatori pulled into the Sohma driveway, no one came out to greet them. Tohru hated to admit she was nervous, but she was nervous. He turned off the car and unloaded the bags, then opened her door. "You can get out now, they aren't going to bite you."

"I know, it's just…"

"Hard to face fears. Tohru, I have observed you over the last few years, and have always been impressed by your faith in yourself and your bravery to face new and strange things." He looked hard at her. "There is not a single person in his or her right mind" _Akito of course NOT being totally sane _"who could think you were a bad person." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. "I will face this fear with you." He slid open the shoji and they both about jumped out of their skins.

Dirty dishes were piled on the table, garbage bags were stacked on the floor, and dirty clothes were strewn across the room in careless abandon. "My goodness!"

"Dammit, most of these clothes look like Shigure's. First of all, he's the adult. Second, what the hell is he wearing?" He walked over to the door that closed off Shigure's room from the rest of the first floor, forgetting he still held Tohru's hand. Quietly he pulled the door open, not wanting to awaken the sloth.

"She locked her ankles behind his back, squeezing her thighs so tightly that he had no other recourse but to pump…" He stopped for a second. "Suddenly he felt that he was being watched, and instinctively wanted to take back the last thing that came out of his mouth." He turned and grinned at Hatori. "Too late. Hello Hatori…" they both suddenly realized they weren't alone. "And Tohru-kun."

"Ano.., hello Shigure-san." She pulled at her hand. "Can I go now?" Hatori let go and she scampered off.

Shigure looked at his friend. "You look like you had a good trip. Too bad you weren't here to moderate. It's been quite the busy week." He looked at his computer monitor. "But good for the muse. Lots of teen emotion and angst. I think I just added to it too." He looked in the direction Tohru had scampered.

"I'm sure. Yes, I had a good trip." Shigure saved what he was working on and picked up his box of cigarettes, offering them to Hatori. "No, I've quit."

The dog was about to pop one into his mouth when he heard that. "Eh? Quit smoking? But I thought we'd agreed to always smoke, as to shorten the time we have to suffer this curse."

"Who says we have to suffer?"

"Been talking to Tohru again huh?" He took a deep drag, letting the smoke swirl in his lungs. "She's pretty wise when she needs to be."

"I'm beginning to see that she's much wiser than we have ever been." That said, he turned to leave. "I must get back to my primary obligation. Please tell the others I am sorry I missed them, and send Hatsuharu and Momiji home if they haven't already left."

"Mmmhmm, I will and they have. Please stay for a few moments." At Hatori's nod, Shigure closed the shoji behind him and left his new work, A Summer Bloom, to walk with his confidant to the back porch to talk.

ssssss

Tohru quickly scanned the house and realized that Shigure was the only one home. After picking up the mess and starting a load of whites, she headed towards Yuki's secret base. He was nestled between the daikon radishes and the leeks.

"Yuki-san, may we talk?" He nodded, but didn't look up at her. "Are you mad at me?" He shook his head. "Okay, does it have something to do with Akito?" This time he nodded. "Can you not talk about it?"

He looked at her. "This place is not safe. I saw Hatori out here with you one night."

"What place is?"

"I am only aware of one that is available." He started walking.

"The tree." He didn't answer, but he didn't need to.

The two men on the porch watched as Yuki stomped into the woods, a downcast Tohru three proper steps behind. Hatori looked at Shigure. "What the hell happened?"

Shigure exhaled smoke. "No doubt Akito is the cause, but Yuki is wily. There is a good reason why there is not both a rat and a fox in the zodiac."

Hatori chuckled. "True. Lets leave them to their own devices. Are you going to tell Akito anything?"

"No. Let's call Ayame! We'll have a party tonight!" Shigure rushed into the room to pick up the phone.

"Great, two days of peace broken by two idiots in less than two hours of returning."_ Oh well, what else would I be doing tonight, besides sharing a dream with Rio._ He walked in and looked at Shigure, who had just hung the phone up. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll pass tonight."

"Will we share our dreams at least?"

"No, I suspect tonight you dream alone." Hatori walked out, leaving a very thoughtful dog behind. _Ah, and I suspect Ayame didn't answer the phone for a good reason as well._

Ayame would have agreed, but he was too busy admiring the way a certain myopic female looked in and out of his yellow creation.

ssssss

Yuki had chivalrously hoisted Tohru up to a higher limb, chivalrously because he resisted the temptation to peek up her skirt while she was standing above him. Now they both sat leaning against the trunk, taking in the fading sunset and the first of the night stars.

"You've lost Kyo."

"Hana-chan?" He nodded. "I hoped that would eventually happen." She took a deep breath. "It's really not that big of a sadness."

"But you care for him, both of his forms."

"I care for all of the Sohmas, just in different ways."

_And how do you care about me? No, that's not my right. _"I believe they will make a good couple. When I left, she had accepted both of his forms."

Tohru smiled to herself. "She'll keep your secrets Yuki, don't worry about that."

"I don't. Uo-chan and Haru have managed to 'hook up.'"

She blinked and looked at him. "That is surprising." There were several moments of silence. "If they survive, they'll make a good match, he'll temper her when he's white, she'll keep him out of trouble when he's black." Again, silence reigned. "…so, where does that leave us?"

"Akito brought you back because he thinks I hate you and that you rebuff Kyo, causing him pain."

"Why would he think that?" Tohru was torn apart by this statement. She knew Akito did not like her, but to use her to hurt the boys…

"Because that's what I told him." Yuki clenched his jaw and looked out into the night.

"Why?" Tohru felt a tear slip over the corner of her eye.

He turned and raised himself to be eye level with her. Laying a hand on her knee, he looked her straight in the eyes. "Because that's what I had to do in order to get you back." She sniffed and he caught another escaping tear on his fingertip. Taking a second to watch it gleam in the moonlight. "I won't lose you." The conviction was clear in his voice.

"But to lie…"

"I'm willing to sacrifice anything I need to in order to protect what was given to me to care for."

"I was not given to you to care for."

"Oh, but you were. You camped on my land, moved into my house, and set up residence in my heart. I will NOT let you be removed from my care." He caught another tear. "Stop crying Tohru, you're making me feel bad."

Tohru caught a watery breath. "But I'm just so happy that someone cares for me!"

He caught her lips gently with his, kissing her with all the kindness she'd shown him over the years. "Don't ever question my feelings for you Tohru, especially over the next several months." He kissed her again, before settling back down and explaining what needed to be done. She listened and agreed with his plan.

As they headed back to the house, he grabbed her hand. "I would like permission to court you in a formal manner. Unfortunately, it will have to be in secret for now." She stopped and he noticed she was blushing. "Without sex of course, I respect you too much to be expecting that for a long time."

She chuckled lightly and pulled his hand, causing him to step closer to her. "Okay, but when we're both ready, I have several really good ideas." That said, she started walking. Thinking maybe they had a chance after all.

**Epilogue**

Somehow the three couples managed to keep their relationships a secret until they were of age to break away from the Sohma household. Upon discovering the truth, Akito was so enraged that Hatori had to sedate him and provide around the clock surveillance to prevent Akito from harming himself or others in his fury. When Akito confronted Hari, he was informed that the good doctor would no longer suppress the memories of any person involved with a Sohma unless that person directly asked for suppression. That angered the head of the Sohmas so much that he threw Hatori out. Although he thought it was a good way of punishing the doctor, Hatori just used the opportunity to visit Rio and cement their relationship with a ring. When Akito called and told him to come back, Hatori informed him that he was getting married and that he'd decided that since Akito could not accept non-Sohmas into the family, he would be moving out of the compound permanently.

Haru and Arisa moved to America and were very successful as stunt coordinators for fighting movies. Arisa actually stared in several of the films as the stunt double, while Haru chose a less hands-on approach. The only sparring in which he participated involved a bed, and his wife.

Kyo and Saki became traveling illusionists. Their abilities made them legends. They were last seen headed into an old Mayan Temple that was believed to have been built thousands of years ago in honor of a cat monster that was said to walk as a man, and his witchy wife.

Yuki and Tohru stayed with Shigure, and finally overcame their sexual repression to raise several non-cursed Sohma children. These offspring proceeded to lead lives much more exciting than what their parents lived. They loved each other dearly, and although Shigure accused them of being 'red bean sticky sweet,' he made millions off of love stories based upon the two of them.

But most important, is Kagura, who was the unwilling instigator of this entire fiasco. She was finally allowed to go back to college, and graduated with a degree in law. The same degree that she used to gain the right to marry Logan, and allowed the other Sohmas to finally break the hold Akito had on them.

As for the rest of the Sohmas, those are stories that are better told by another campfire, on another night.

**A/N:** I hope you have enjoyed this story. I enjoyed writing it, and I have enjoyed every review received. I do hope you'll take a moment and let me know if the story was credible or not. I've worked very hard on in-character development and would love feedback on whether I stayed basically true to characters, although they all changed within the bounds of the story.

I do not know if I will write another Furubu anytime soon. Currently I'm posting a new GITS fic, and I have a monster InuYasha tale in the works. Each story improves a skill lacking in the previous ones. Maybe some day I'll get good enough to step out and do some original work.

Until the next time… Thank you! - TK


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